Mysuru: Members of various farmers’ organisations and pro-Kannada groups staged separate protests across Mysuru on Wednesday against the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directive asking Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. Protesters urged the State government not to implement the order, citing deficient rainfall, depleting reservoirs and concerns over drinking water and irrigation needs within Karnataka.
The demonstrations were held at multiple locations in the city, with protesters demanding that the State challenge the CWRC’s directive and seek a long-term solution to the recurring Cauvery water-sharing dispute.
Sugarcane growers stage ‘Urulu Seve’
Members of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association gathered in front of the Command Area Development Authority (CADA) office and performed ‘Urulu Seve’, a traditional form of protest involving rolling on the road.
Addressing the gathering, association president Hallikerehundi Bhagyaraj said Karnataka was facing a rainfall deficit and that officials had already indicated there was insufficient water to supply irrigation canals.
He argued that, with the State confronting the possibility of drought, implementing the CWRC’s directive would place additional pressure on Karnataka’s water resources.
Bhagyaraj criticised successive governments for failing to arrive at a permanent solution to the Cauvery dispute despite repeated protests by farmers every year. He urged the State government to challenge the directive through the appropriate legal forum.
KRRS demands distress-sharing formula
Members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) staged a sit-in protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue opposite the District Court on Krishnaraja Boulevard.
The protesters raised slogans against the Tamil Nadu government and asserted Karnataka’s rights over the Cauvery waters.
KRRS president Badagalapura Nagendra said most parts of the Cauvery basin were facing acute water scarcity, with the exception of the Harangi reservoir.
He claimed crops in the basin were withering due to inadequate rainfall and that several lakes had dried up, raising concerns over drinking water availability for both people and livestock.
Nagendra urged the Karnataka government not to release water and instead press for a clearly defined distress-sharing formula to be incorporated into the final Cauvery water-sharing framework.
KRRS leaders Hosuru Kumar and P. Marankaiah also participated in the demonstration.
Karnataka Sena Pade joins agitation
Activists of the Karnataka Sena Pade also staged a protest outside the Old Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Mysuru.
Wearing black armbands, the protesters shouted slogans against the CWRC and demanded that the Union government dissolve the committee.
Karnataka Sena Pade president Tejas Lokesh Gowda called upon the Karnataka government not to release any water to Tamil Nadu until the State’s own water requirements were secured.
Several activists, including Prabhushankar, Golden Suresh, Siddegowda, Girish, Somegowda and Sinduvalli Shivakumar, participated in the protest.
Demand for State intervention
Across all the protests, the common demand was that the Karnataka government should resist implementing the CWRC’s directive and prioritise the State’s drinking water and agricultural needs.
Farmer leaders also reiterated the need for a permanent and equitable mechanism to address water-sharing during years of deficient rainfall, arguing that recurring disputes have continued to affect farmers across the Cauvery basin.
The demonstrations come amid growing concern over below-normal monsoon rainfall in parts of Karnataka and the impact of water shortages on agriculture and reservoir storage.