MYSURU: Farmers in Cauvery basin intensified their agitation on Tuesday after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day for 15 days to Tamil Nadu. The order triggered widespread protests in Mandya district, with farmers, political leaders and farmer organisations warning the State Government against implementing the directive.
Hundreds of farmers, along with members of various organisations, staged a demonstration at Sanjay Circle in Mandya before blocking the old Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway. Protesters raised slogans of “We will give blood, but not water”, with several farmers staging a semi-nude protest to express their anger. They said that under no circumstances should Karnataka release water to Tamil Nadu, arguing that the state’s own drinking water and irrigation needs are under severe stress owing to a poor monsoon.
Agitators said that the KRS reservoir currently has a water level of around 92 feet, and continuous release of 3,500 cusecs for 15 days would significantly deplete storage. They warned that such a move would not only jeopardise irrigation for standing crops but could also lead to a drinking water crisis in several districts, including Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mandya. Farmers said crops were already withering owing to inadequate rainfall and that both people and livestock were facing severe hardship.
Former MLA Annadani urged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar not to comply with the CWRC order. He recalled that former chief ministers S Bangarappa and HD Deve Gowda had previously resisted similar directives issued by the Cauvery authorities in the interest of Karnataka. He warned that if water was released this time, farmers would intensify their agitation.
Meanwhile, Mandya MLA Ganiga Ravikumar questioned Tamil Nadu’s demand for additional Cauvery water by releasing what he described as a reality check video. The legislator claimed the footage, recorded during his recent visit to Tamil Nadu, showed large volumes of Cauvery water flowing into the Bay of Bengal near Chidambaram without being utilised.
Ravikumar alleged that despite substantial quantities of water already reaching the sea, Tamil Nadu continued to seek additional releases from Karnataka. “If so much water is already flowing into the sea, on what basis is Tamil Nadu demanding more water from Karnataka?” he questioned, urging the Karnataka government to reject the CWRC directive.
The MLA also reiterated Karnataka’s commitment to constructing the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, despite objections from Tamil Nadu. He suggested that instead of opposing the project, Tamil Nadu should consider constructing another reservoir downstream of the Mettur reservoir to store water that otherwise flows into the sea.
State Federation of Farmers’ Associations president Kurubur Shanthakumar also opposed the CWRC order, stating that the prevailing circumstances made it impossible for Karnataka to release water. He said the state government should clearly inform the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) that the current reservoir storage was barely sufficient to meet Karnataka’s drinking water needs and protect standing crops.
He noted that the major Cauvery basin reservoirs KRS, Kabini, Hemavathi and Harangi were holding only limited water owing to deficient monsoon rainfall, with catchment areas receiving barely half of the expected precipitation. As a result, inflows into the reservoirs had reduced drastically.
He urged the State Government to appeal to the CWMA for reconsideration of the release order, taking into account the prevailing hydrological situation.