The Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to comply with the Cauvery Water Management Authority order on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and posted the matter for hearing on August 24 to allow an update on the release. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked the state to ensure compliance of the CWMA directions. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily for 15 days till August 11 and the CWMA later upheld a subsequent direction to release 12,000 cusecs daily for 15 days from August 12. Tamil Nadu told the court that the CWMA direction was not being complied with and that farmers in the state were unable to receive water, noting that live storage in the reservoirs in the neighbouring state stood at 76 per cent. The Karnataka government responded that the picture projected before the court was incorrect and that the current year amounted to a severe distress year requiring balancing mechanisms. Counsel for Karnataka said the CWMA was alive to basin deficits and had issued directions, and that releasing 12,000 cusecs was very difficult though instructions had been issued to maintain the level. He said the flow was low during the first three or four days but that Karnataka would make up the shortfall in the next few days. Tamil Nadu had approached the apex court on August 3, arguing that the quantum allocated by the CWRC and that released by Karnataka was far less than its due share. The state pointed to a CWRC meeting on July 28 that had directed release of 3,500 cusecs from July 29, while actual releases at Biligundlu ranged between 158 and 550 cusecs from July 29 to August 2. A Tamil Nadu government release said combined storage in the KRS, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy reservoirs in Karnataka stood at 77.537 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) and that the proportionate water to be realised at Biligundlu should be 26.954 TMC, adding that the CWMA allocation of 4.536 TMC was inadequate.