BENGALURU: In the wake of Supreme Court directing the Centre to formulate and file the draft Cauvery Management Scheme by May 3, people of Kodagu say formation of the board or formulating a scheme is not enough as the need of the hour is to 'save the river' which has started drying up year after year.
In fact, 37,000 people have signed a petition 'Save River Cauvery and your drinking water' and expressed concern at the rampant change in land use in Kodagu, resulting in drying up of the river.
According to forest officials and local environmentalists, the river volume has already reduced by 40 per cent over the past 50 years. Further, with Kodagu being the main catchment area for the river, it contributes nearly 70 per cent of the water to Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and in this scenario, it will have serious repercussions on sharing the water with Tamil Nadu.
Locals, coffee planters, retired soldiers, eco groups and naturalists say, this season the drying up of the river can be seen in many places including Kushalnagar and Lakshmana Tirtha — the border of Kodagu district, where the river is born. Successive governments and major political parties have ignored this issue and just concentrated on sharing of waters, they add.
According to Coorg Wildlife Society, Kodagu is under serious threat due to urbanisation — in the last decade, 2,800 acres of coffee plantations and paddy fields have been converted into resorts and layouts for commercial purposes, while the CDP (comprehensive development plan) for Madikeri to expand up to Mekeri has already been approved despite several objections.
Sand mining is another major reason for the river to dry up as the river bed is being illegally tapped, the society opines.
Most businesses are converting land in Kodagu and making layouts and selling sites. If Kodagu is converted to one big city, how will there be water in Cauvery for the growing needs of Bengaluru and Mysuru, and further, Tamil Nadu ?
Sundar Muthanna adds, "Formation of the Cauvery board is not enough, Tamil Nadu should take the responsibility along with Karnataka of keeping the catchment area alive. Ecology does not figure in the manifesto of any party but with people catching up to issues of eco damage, it may change their perception. Uncontrolled migration, land use change, deforestation, sand mining and vote bank politics are responsible for the present situation."
Further, Kodagu district has borne the brunt of unchecked and irresponsible development followed by unsustainable tourism. Machaiah, a naturalist says, "With the demographics changing and concern for Cauvery disappearing, paddy fields which stores water for four months in a year have been converted to real estate projects. These lands were precious source of rain harvesting."