Karnataka stops release of water to Tamil Nadu

Karnataka today stopped release of Cauvery water from the Krishna Raja Sagar dam citing depleted storage, hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear only the CRA can review its order directing the state to release 9,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.

"As per the direction of Irrigation Department heads, we have closed down the five crest gates through which the water is flowing to Tamil Nadu", KRS chief executive engineer Vijayakumar told reporters here.

Water was being released from KRS and Kabini dams.

Discharge from Kabini had been stopped two days ago, he said.

The water stoppage to Tamil Nadu came after Karnataka said it will file a review petition tomorrow before Cauvery River Authority headed by the Prime Minister who made known his position to Congress and BJP delegations which met him separately seeking review of CRA's September 19 directive.

The move also came on a day when Karnataka informed the Supreme Court with its counsel Fali Nariman telling the bench, "We will not be able to release anything more. It is physically impossible to release. There is already a surplus of 13,000 cusecs."

The KRS dam top official's announcement came even as Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said in Delhi that the state would file a review petition before the CRA tomorrow and demanded that Singh take up the issue immediately.

"... We will meet the Prime Minister tomorrow and file a review petition (of the CRA order)," he said.