Accepting the report of the expert team of the Central Water Commission, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Karnataka Government to release forthwith 2.44 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu to save the standing crops on about one lakh acres in the Cauvery delta region.

A three-judge Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha, J. Chelameswar and Madan B. Lokur passed this order after accepting the report of the expert team which visited Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts on February 5 to assess the water requirements to save the standing crops.