The dwindling storage in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin reservoirs due to drought prevailing in the State has caused concerns in the downstream areas, besides typically escalating the legal tussle over inter-State sharing of the river water. But the plight of the sensitive ecosystem of Kodagu, which is the main catchment area as well as place of origin of the river, is yet to get due attention.
This tiny hilly district located in the pristine Western Ghats region should receive good rains if the Krishnarajasagara (KRS) reservoir, located in the downstream, has to get adequate inflows to take care of irrigation requirement of farmers in command areas and drinking water needs of towns and cities in the basin, including Bengaluru. Also, the State’s experience has shown that the inter-State sharing of Cauvery water does not get complicated when there are good rains in Kodagu.
