Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
The Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to release 177.25 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from its inter-state Biligundlu dam.
The judgment clarified that Karnataka will now have an enhanced share of 14.75 tmcft water per year while Tamil Nadu will get 404.25 tmcft, which will be 14.75 tmcft less than what was allotted by the tribunal in 2007.
The long-awaited judgement was pronounced by a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar.
Reading out the operative portion of the verdict, the chief justice said the 2007 tribunal award of 30 tmcft to Kerala and 7 tmcft water to Puducherry will remain unchanged.
It said the increase in share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft is because of the 10 tmcft groundwater and 4.75 tmcft drinking water requirement for Bengaluru residents.
Stating that drinking water has to be kept on the highest pedestal, it said its order on Cauvery water allocation will continue for the next 15 years. During the course of the pendency of appeals of the neighbouring states against the arbitral award of 2007, the apex court had passed several orders directing Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
On 30 September 2016, it had pulled up Karnataka for its repeated "defiance" in flouting its orders on the issue and said no one would know when it would face the "wrath of the law".
(With inputs from PTI)
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