KARNATAKA Agreements in 1892 and 1924 restricted Karnataka and gave Tamil Nadu a headstart on the use of Cauvery waters. Much Cauvery water is wasted by Tamil Nadu which has no scientific water management system. The 1990 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was unfair to Karnataka. The interim award does not take into account an annual distress period. The jurisdiction of the Cauvery River Authority set up by the Union Government after the interim award is unacceptable. TAMIL NADU Tamil Nadu enjoys traditional rights and the agreements confer the status as a lower riparian state which cannot be rejected. Unfair accusation, says Tamil Nadu, for it claims better water management than Karnataka. It was set up only after the failures of 20-odd rounds of talks over two decades. It does make provision for a distress period when 205 TMC ft water is to be released. The Cauvery River Authority is a legally constituted body and the state of Karnataka is obliged to abide by its decisions.