Cauvery

Company engineers begin remodelling the Grand Anicut

Captain Caldwell was appointed in 1804 to study the Kaveri and raised the ancient Grand Anicut to send more water to the delta.

Arthur Cotton builds the Upper Anaicut at Mukkombu

Arthur Cotton built the Upper Anaicut regulator where the Kollidam branches from the Kaveri, between 1836 and 1838.

Madras and Mysore sign the 1892 Cauvery agreement

After an 1890 conference, the Madras Presidency and Mysore signed an agreement on the use of the Cauvery's waters.

Cauvery arbitration award on the Kannambadi dam

Arbitration under the 1892 agreement let Mysore build a Kannambadi dam smaller than it had planned; an appeal by Madras led to the 1924 agreement.

Mettur Dam completed

The Mettur Dam across the Cauvery was completed, creating the Stanley Reservoir and expanding irrigation in the delta.

Agricultural Labourer Fair Wages Act

Under a 1969 law, Cauvery delta farm labourers had to be paid fair wages, and landowners who exploited them faced penalties.

Expiry of the 1924 Kaveri agreement

The 50-year Madras-Mysore agreement of 1924 on Kaveri waters expired, opening a long inter-state dispute with Karnataka.

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal constituted

On a Supreme Court direction, the Union government set up a tribunal to adjudicate the Kaveri water dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Cauvery tribunal issues interim award

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal directed Karnataka to release 205 TMC ft of water a year to Tamil Nadu.

Nagapattinam district carved out of Thanjavur

On 19 October 1991, Nagapattinam district was created by splitting the composite Thanjavur district in two.

Anti-Tamil violence in Karnataka over Cauvery award

Mobs attacked Tamils in Bangalore, Mysore and other parts of southern Karnataka after the Cauvery interim award was gazetted.

Jayalalithaa fasts on the Marina over Cauvery water

Seeking Cauvery water from Karnataka for the kuruvai crop, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa went on a fast of about 80 hours beside the MGR memorial.

Tiruvarur district formed

Tiruvarur district was formed out of Nagapattinam district, with Valangaiman taluk added from Thanjavur.

Cauvery River Authority set up

The Union government set up the Cauvery River Authority, chaired by the Prime Minister with the chief ministers of the basin states, to implement the interim award.

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award

The Cauvery tribunal issued its final award allocating river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project

A Cauvery-based drinking water scheme for Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts was begun in 2008 amid objections from Karnataka and launched in 2013.

Cyclone Nisha floods the Cauvery delta

Cyclonic Storm Nisha made landfall in Tamil Nadu, bringing record rain to Orathanadu and killing at least 189 people in the state.

Supreme Court final verdict on Cauvery waters

The Supreme Court reduced Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water slightly and ordered a scheme for implementation, leading to the Cauvery Water Management Authority.

Cauvery Water Management Authority constituted

Following the Supreme Court's final Cauvery verdict, the Union government created the Cauvery Water Management Authority.

Cauvery delta declared a protected special agricultural zone

Tamil Nadu declared the Cauvery delta a protected special agricultural zone, barring new hydrocarbon and similar projects.

Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary notified

About 686 square km of forest along the Kaveri was notified as Tamil Nadu's 17th wildlife sanctuary.