The Karnataka government will hope that the Cauvery Supervisory Committee comes up with a solution in the state’s favour when it meets on Monday. The meeting will be attended by officials of the Central Water Commission and the chief secretaries of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The government of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have requested their representatives to present their cases to the team as the two states continue to squabble over the distribution of water from the river.

While Tamil Nadu wants to ensure that 15,000 cusecs of water get released every day as per the Supreme Court’s September 5 order, Karnataka is hoping that the required volume is reduced, claiming it does not have enough for its own farmers’ needs. Karnataka is expected to request the panel to set up a team of experts to examine the actual conditions in the Cauvery basin, The Hindu reported.

The Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka has also appealed to the Supreme Court to modify its September order. The government claimed it has already released 66,000 cusecs of water as a “goodwill gesture”, but that any more will cause public distress. It has also claimed that Tamil Nadu is merely storing the water, while Karnataka needs it for drinking purposes. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the plea on a holiday after the Karnataka government made an urgent request.

There were widespread protests in Karnataka after the Supreme Court ruling. On September 9, a statewide bandh was held, leaving shops shuttered, school and colleges closed and citizens stranded at home.