New Delhi, July 15 -- At the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) meeting held on Wednesday, Karnataka stated that it cannot release water to Tamil Nadu due to a severe shortage in the Cauvery basin, Karnataka Irrigation Minister Ramalinga Reddy's office stated.

Karnataka officials told the committee that there was no rainfall in the Cauvery catchment in June and there was zero inflow into reservoirs.

"There has been some rain in a few places in July, and a small quantity of water has been stored in the dams. But there is no forecast of the monsoon picking up again," the Karnataka officials said.

Karnataka argued that the water currently stored must be used only for drinking purposes. "There is no water stored in our dams. The wat...