India’s Karnataka state has stopped releasing water from a disputed river to neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, defying a court directive.
Karnataka decided to stop water flow from the Cauvery river late on Monday.
There have been days of protests in Karnataka after a recent Supreme Court ruling forced the state to release water in accordance with an order from the Cauvery river authority.
Both southern states say they need the water for millions of farmers.
The order from the Cauvery river authority, headed by PM Manmohan Singh, stipulates that Karnataka should release 9,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water to Tamil Nadu each day until 15 October.
But on Monday, Karnataka’s state government told the Supreme Court that it could not release water as its reservoirs did not have enough supplies.
“We can’t release any more water. It is a firm decision. There is scarcity of water,” said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister KS Easwarappa said.
Political leaders and farmers groups say Karnataka was “ready to face legal action rather than share scarce water” with Tamil Nadu.
A leader of the ruling BJP, Sadananda Gowda, has told Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar that he should face contempt of court and “go to prison” rather than allow water to Tamil Nadu.
The Cauvery originates in Karnataka and flows into Tamil Nadu. The dispute over sharing its waters dates from the 19th Century during British rule.
