Members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Cauvery Command Area Development Authority (CADA) urging the Karnataka Government to protect farmers’ interest.
The farmers, led by KRRS leader Badagalpura Nagendra, protested against the directive of Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to Karnataka to release water at the rate of 5,000 cusecs per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.
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Mr. Nagendra said at the rate of 5,000 cusecs per day, about 7 TMC ft of water will be discharged while the available quantum of water in the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir is around 24 TMC ft. “This includes 4 tmc ft of dead storage. The remaining water will not suffice for saving the standing crops and meeting the drinking water requirements of Mysuru, Bengaluru and other towns,” Mr. Nagendra added.
“The directive to release water at the rate of 5,000 cusecs is unscientific given the storage position in the dam and the absence of a clearly defined distress formula. Not only have the rains failed, there ias drought in all taluks in the Cauvery basin of Karnataka. In case water was released, farmers would intensify their agitation.”
