Cauvery Verdict: SC reduces Tamil Nadu's water share, Karnataka gets additional 14.75 TMC

Pronouncing its verdict in the Cauvery water dispute case, the Supreme Court on Friday reduced Tamil Nadu's per year water share to 177.25 TMC.

The apex court increased Karnataka's water share and the state will now get additional 14.75 TMC. The top court also said that water is a "national resource" and no single state can claim exclusive ownership to a river.

SC made it clear that the increase in the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka has been done keeping in view the fact that there is an increased demand of drinking water by Bengaluru & also for many industrial activities.

The top court in its ruling said that 20 TMC of groundwater in Tamil Nadu had not been accounted for and needed to be seen.

The Cauvery water has been the sources of decades-old dispute between the two South Indian states. Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has increased the security in wake of the apex court’s verdict.

The verdict will have a lasting effect on the farmers of both states and will also impact the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka.

Tamil Nadu had asked the top court to set up a Cauvery Management Board and make fundamental changes in the water sharing pact with Karnataka.

Most Read | PNB Scam: Businessman alerted PMO office about Gitanjali's illegal loans in 2016

However, Karnataka argued it would not be fair for the people of the state to release a fixed amount of water irrespective of the availability.

Cauvery, a 765-km long river is called the Ganga of South and originates in Karnataka’s Kodagu district and flows into Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.

In 2007, the Cauvery Water Tribunal had allocated 270 TMC to Karnataka, 419 TMC to Tamil Nadu, 30 TMC to Kerala, and 7 TMC to Puducherry and around 14 TMC for environmental purposes.

Karnataka wants Tamil Nadu’s share to be slashed by half while Tamil Nadu wants its share to be increased to 325 TMC water.

Karnataka argues that the water supply in the four dams built on Cauvery river is not enough for the needs of Bengaluru and Mysuru.

Karnataka says the water allocation agreements of 1892 and 1924 was between the then Kingdom of Mysore and the then Madras Presidency.