Farmers in the south Indian state of Karnataka are locked in a bitter dispute against an order by the Cauvery Water Management Authority compelling them to share water from the Cauvery River with the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu. As Asian News International reported, these protests have lasted for over a week and have influenced both regions significantly. In Bangalore, a city known for its heavy concentration of technology companies, schools and public places had to close for a day due to these protests.
The current form of protest followed a rejection by the Supreme Court to intervene with the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s order. This contentious decision involves the release of 5000 cusecs (over 140,000 litres per second) of water to Tamil Nadu over a span of 15 days. Karnataka’s farmers, already distressed due to the lack of rain among other issues, claim that yielding to this order will place unreasonable strain on their already drought-affected lands.
The long-standing dispute over the distribution of water from the Cauvery is a recurring issue. The river flows through Karnataka and supplies water to the region before moving onto the lower, agrarian state of Tamil Nadu, culminating in the Bay of Bengal. Numerous dams in Karnataka impede the flow of water to Tamil Nadu, exacerbating the situation.
The latest quarrel can be traced back to an event in 1974, when Karnataka deemed a 1924 water-sharing treaty null and void. Following that declaration, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was formed in 1990 and developed a scheme for water distribution in line with the Inter-State Water Disputes Act of 1956. The Act stipulated that Karnataka was to release 205 million cubic feet of water either monthly or weekly to Tamil Nadu. This, in turn, sparked violent protests in Karnataka in 1991, forcing thousands of Tamil families to leave Bangalore.
The Tribunal’s final decision was delivered in 2007, adjusted by the Indian Supreme Court in 2018. Subsequently, the Cauvery Water Management Authority and Cauvery Water Management Committee were formed in 2018 to put into effect the award of the Tribunal.
The issue regained attention in 2016 with violent protests incited by a similar order by the Supreme Court, directing Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu. The state’s Chief Minister announced that they would file a review petition against the order in the Supreme Court.