The team headed by Central Water Resources Secretary Z Hasan comprising experts of the Central Water Commission are expected to visit the catchment areas of Kabini, Hemavathi Krishnarajasagar and Harangi in Karnataka and Mettur and the Delta areas in Tamil Nadu to assess the situation in the light of claims and counter claims by the two riparian states.

The team is expected to be back in the capital in time to apprise the PM, who as authority chairman would preside over the Wednesday meeting. Vajpayee discussed the latest situation with the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

The authority meeting is expected to break the stalemate over the sharing of waters followingrefusal of Karnataka to release water to starving paddy crops in Tamil Nadu. The Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry are expected to participate in the first meeting of the authority after initialing of the Cauvery accord last year.

Sources said the meeting is expected to hammer out a consensus formula on the recommendations of the monitoring committee which met on Thursday. The committee recommended that Karnataka release nine tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu by October to make good the deficit in addition to mandatory releases recommended by the Cauvery Tribunal in its interim order.

Karnataka, however, has rejected the recommendations citing the instance of the then prime minister Narasimha Rao directing the state to release six tmc ft of water on the New Year Day in 1996.

Tamil Nadu has been clamouring for immediate release of water by Karnataka saying there has been a shortage of 30 tmc ft for the current season. Karnataka has disputed the figure claiming it is only 20 tmc ft.