Mr Siddaramaiah said Karnataka has not released the water yet, but it would be done soon. The chief minister also assured the farmers of the state that their drinking and irrigation needs would also be taken care of.

He reiterated that it was a distress year for the state and that Karnataka would approach the Supreme Court asking for a modification of the order that said the state should release 15,000 cusecs a day of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Currently, about 8000 cusecs is flowing out of Karnataka to Tamil Nadu.

At Mandya in southern Karnataka - the volatile heartland of the Cauvery basin - protesters burnt tyres on the highway blocking traffic between Bengaluru and Mysuru. The protests forced the state government to pull off 700 buses headed to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, buses and trucks heading to Karnataka were stopped at Hosur along the border.

Schools and colleges in the district will be closed for two days, the government said. Entry into the Krishnarajasagar Dam and the famous Brindavan Gardens in the area has been stopped till Friday, September 9.

The Supreme Court yesterday asked Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs every day to Tamil Nadu for 10 days, nearly double what it is releasing currently.

Tamil Nadu had moved court after Karnataka released far less water this year than was decided in 2007 by a court-appointed tribunal.

Karnataka has offered 10,000 cusecs of water a day, saying that because of poor rain, its reservoirs don't have enough water, "not even for drinking".

Tamil Nadu, with much more farmland to irrigate, says its farmers can't sow crop if it is not given more water immediately.

Last week, the Supreme Court told Karnataka to "live and let live" and urged both states to "maintain harmony in the water dispute".