The two States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have had similar disputes over the Cauvery/Kaveri river as well.
In February 2018, the Supreme Court passed its verdict in the Cauvery river case, while observing that water bodies are national assets and that no one State could claim exclusive rights over them.
That Karnataka-Tamil Nadu dispute over the waters of the Cauvery river had its roots in two agreements in 1892 and 1924 between the erstwhile Madras Presidency and the Princely State of Mysore, one that outlived its utility long ago, but sowed the seeds of lasting discontent between the States.
After several rounds of failed negotiations, the Supreme Court directed the constitution of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, which had given its award in 2007, allowing Tamil Nadu to draw a fixed amount of water every day.
However, the dispute continued after both States filed a petition in the tribunal to review the decision.
In 2016, Tamil Nadu again petitioned the Supreme Court as Karnataka submitted that it had no more water to share from its reservoir. Subsequently, the top court had asked the Central government to constitute a Cauvery Management Board (CMB).
Source: Barandbench
