42ⁿ B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1997-98

Cauvery water dispute is—

aAndhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
bAndhra Pradesh and Karnataka
cKarnataka and Tamil Nadu✓ Correct
dTamil Nadu and Puducherry

Explanation

The Cauvery water dispute is among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry (State/Union Territory). However, this dispute originally began mainly between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The roots of this dispute lie in the agreements signed in 1892 and 1924 between the then Madras Presidency and the Mysore princely state. After Independence, Karnataka refused to accept these agreements, stating that preference was given to Tamil Nadu. As no mutual settlement could be reached between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the Central Government constituted the ‘Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’ in 1990. The final decision of the Supreme Court came in 2018, in which the Court called the Cauvery river water a national asset and upheld the final water-sharing arrangement made by the CWDT, with partial modifications.

indian-history