The Cauvery water dispute explained

And with both sides now hardening their positions, a 150-year-old dispute may well have entered a new phase. It is a dispute born of geography and hydrology, shaped by politics, and now, with extreme weather events increasing in intensity and frequency, exacerbated by the climate crisis.

The Cauvery starts from the catchment area in the Brahmagiri Hills at Talakaveri in Coorg district and passes through four districts of Karnataka before entering Tamil Nadu at Dharmapuri district. It has 21 principal tributaries --- nine in Karnataka and the rest in Tamil Nadu. It is the third largest river in southern India after Godavari and Krishna, and the largest in Tamil Nadu.

The river is crucial for farmers in the two states with paddy being the principal crop in the Cauvery delta.