Bengaluru, Aug. 11 -- The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu, starting 8 am on August 12 for the next 15 days.

The decision was taken at CWMA's 55th meeting held on August 11, where the Authority affirmed and endorsed the recommendations of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).

Karnataka cited "severe hydrological distress" and told the CWMA that inflows into its four Cauvery reservoirs KRS, Kabini, Hemavathi and Harangi have been 47 per cent below the 30-year average at 77.746 TMC, with inflows rapidly declining.

The State said it has already ensured 86,942 cusecs at Biligundlu against the prescribed 52,500 cusecs, and argued t...