Karnataka’s farmers continue their protest against the Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu

The Karnataka farmers’ organizations will hold a new demonstration on Thursday in front of the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in the Mandya district to protest the transfer of 5,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of Cauvery water to the neighboring Tamil Nadu state. Today, there will be a protest by the Farmers in front of the Mandya district collector’s office.

Karnataka began releasing water from its reservoirs to Tamil Nadu on Wednesday in accordance with the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). On Tuesday, the CWMA ordered Karnataka to guarantee 5,000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Billigundulu on the border between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka each day until September 12. Following a recommendation from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) that Karnataka release 5,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the CWMA was given direction. Karnataka objected to the CWRC’s recommendation, but CWMA upheld it.

Farmers began to protest after the Karnataka government began following the CWMA’s instructions, claiming that the Cauvery basin was suffering from a severe drought and that the water storage in the reservoirs was barely enough to meet the region’s needs for drinking water. Farmers in Mandya protested the CWMA’s decision on Wednesday at midnight. On Friday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Tamil Nadu government’s petition asking the court to order Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of water per day beginning on August 14 and continuing through the end of the month from Karnataka reservoirs.