Bangalore: Complying with the Supreme Court order, Karnataka has begun releasing 4,500 CUSECS of water to Tamil Nadu, even as it is pinning hopes on the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) meeting in New Delhi on February 10 to bail it out of the "grim situation" following failure of rains for the third successive year, official sources said.

Sources said the water started flowing to Tamil Nadu since February 6 night after the Court directed Karnataka to spare 4,500 CUSECS till the CRA meeting and ruled that the decision of the Prime Minister, who is the CRA chairman, would be the "final" having the sanctity of a court order.

Karnataka, the sources told reporters, was making preparations to petition the Prime Minister at the CRA meeting with all the data on what it calls the state's "precarious storage" position and the "impending hardship" its people would have to face during the summer.

PTI