Environment and Disaster Management › Environmental law and institutions
हिन्दी — Read in HindiRivers: sharing, linking and disputes
Disputes between States and how they are settled, river linking, and the rivers India shares with its other neighbours. It serves GS1 answers on resources and GS2 answers on federalism.
Foundation note: The Indus Waters Treaty
Showing 2 of 9 articles, those that changed from 1 to 31 July 2026.Show all
Cauvery and Mekedatu
Copy link to Cauvery and MekedatuPrelims and Mains
The Cauvery Water Management Authority implements the sharing of the river between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry as fixed by the tribunal and modified by the Supreme Court in 2018.
- Mekedatu is a dam Karnataka proposes on the river inside its own territory.
Appraisal in the Cauvery basin
State report
The State submits a preliminary report
CWC scrutiny
The Central Water Commission checks hydrology and inter State aspects
Project report
Preparation of the detailed project report is approved
Technical note
The CWC sends a technical note to the Cauvery Water Management Authority
Authority's view
The authority gives its view, or is presumed to concur after six months
Other clearances
Environmental and tribal clearances follow
What changed
30 Jul 2026
- The Cauvery Water Management Authority upheld a direction that Karnataka release 3,500 cusecs a day to Tamil Nadu.
- On Mekedatu the Centre told Parliament that the 2018 Supreme Court judgment does not require Karnataka to obtain other States' permission.
- But any revised project report needs appraisal by the Central Water Commission and the Authority's views.
Mains: Karnataka often meets the annual quantity but not the monthly schedule, so compliance figures and distress can both be true.
Show history (1 other update)
25 Jun 2026
- The Tamil Nadu Assembly on 19 June unanimously opposed Mekedatu and sought a tribunal.
- The Supreme Court had dismissed Tamil Nadu's review of a November 2025 decision calling its challenge premature.
- Karnataka is preparing a revised project report.
- Tamil Nadu also opposes new Central Water Commission (CWC) guidelines whose presumptive concurrence clause treats the authority as agreeing if it gives no view within six months.
Mains: The dispute is driven by a trust deficit between the riparian States rather than the project's stated drinking water purpose.
The Hindu, 25 Jun 2026: Furore over the Mekedatu project (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 26 Jun 2026: Why is Tamil Nadu opposing the Centre's latest guidelines on Cauvery basin? | Explained (opens in a new tab)
Mahanadi water dispute
Copy link to Mahanadi water disputePrelims and Mains
The Mahanadi dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha went to a tribunal set up in 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, and the States may instead settle it by negotiation.
What changed
30 Jul 2026BriefChhattisgarh and Odisha agreed to seek a negotiated settlement through a technical committee chaired by the Chairman of the Central Water Commission. PIB, 30 Jul 2026: UNION MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI CHAIRS MEETING WITH CHIEF MINISTERS OF CHHATTISGARH AND ODISHA TO FACILITATE AN AMICABLE SETTLEMENT OF THE MAHANADI WATER DISPUTE (opens in a new tab)