Cauvery row: Protests intensify in Mandya over water release to Tamil Nadu

Protests over the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka's KRS dam to Tamil Nadu intensified in the Cauvery basin on Thursday, August 20 with farmers and pro-Kannada activists questioning the decision amid concerns over water availability for the state's agricultural needs.

The protests were particularly strong in Mandya, where farmers alleged that a large quantity of water was being released to Tamil Nadu despite the level in the dam being only 109 feet.

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) had upheld the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's (CWRC) recommendation to release 12,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from August 12.

The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Karnataka to comply with the CWMA order, sources said.

At Sanjay Circle in Mandya, farmers held a sit-in protest, while Kannada Sena activists extended their support and blocked the old Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

Leading the agitation, Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj appealed to people across Karnataka to unite behind the protests and send a strong message to the rest of the country.

Mandya MLA Ravi Kumar Gowda (Ganiga) also demanded that the water release to Tamil Nadu be stopped.

Speaking at the Cauvery Irrigation Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday, Gowda questioned the rationale behind releasing water to Tamil Nadu when Karnataka's farmers were also facing water shortages.

“On the one hand, you are releasing water to Tamil Nadu, while on the other hand you are saying that you will not give us water. If you do not give water to our farmers for their crops, it will become a very serious situation,” he said.

Gowda also called for a special session of the state legislature, claiming that Karnataka was facing a severe drought situation not witnessed in several decades.

Meanwhile, sources in the Chief Minister's Office said the Cauvery dispute was raised before Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his meeting with the chief ministers of southern states in Tamil Nadu.

They said Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar made a case for constructing a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, near Kanakapura in Karnataka.

(With inputs from PTI)