The SC order on releasing Cauvery waters to TamilNadu has Karnataka on the boil, again.
For us, the Cauvery river is like a goddess…she is the lifeline of south Karnataka. We will not stand attacks on Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu in the name of our goddess,” thunders Ravi Gowda, an activist of the rabble-rousing Karnataka Rakshana Vedike as he justifies the torching of TN-registered vehicles in the state. That’s the kind of emotion the sharing of Cauvery waters evokes in Karnataka, a sentiment that the state’s political parties have been milking for ages. Unfortunately, this time the ruling Congress government failed to gauge how aggrieved the public was, resulting in large-scale arson and violence even in cosmopolitan Bengaluru.
Rather than settling the dispute amicably or through a Cauvery Management Board, it has become a game of one upmanship for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This year has been no different. For both states, 2016 has been a ‘distress’ year, as the Cauvery catchment area (Kodagu district in Karnataka) received 33 per cent below average rainfall. The combined water storage levels (for the KRS, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathi dams) in the Cauvery basin by the end of August 2016 was 115 thousand million cubic feet (Tmc ft), as against a normal average of 216 Tmc ft. As per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award, Karnataka should release 192 Tmc ft of water in a normal rainfall year—10 Tmc ft in June, 34 Tmc ft in July, 50 Tmc ft in August, 40 Tmc ft in September and 22 Tmc ft in October. As Karnataka failed to release the required quantum of water in July and August, TN approached the Supreme Court seeking relief against the ‘injustice’.
This story is from the September 26, 2016 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 26, 2016 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BACK IN ACTION
Besides making a thrilling comeback with Tipppsy, Deepak Tijori is working on pushing the boundaries with new projects
THE POWER OF PATIENCE
A steady approach has helped badminton player Lakshya Sen secure a spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics
Great Balls of Fire
The sport of PICKLEBALL is set to get a boost in India with the launch of the World Pickleball League here
Man of Many Ideas
Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav questions simplistic notions of Lala Lajpat Rai's politics in this well-researched book
THE HINDU NATIONALIST
Janaki Bakhle's Savarkar and the Making of Hindutva is a deep dive into the creation of the ideologue
LOVE CONQUERS
IKKA's third album Only Love Gets Reply brings together bigwigs like Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah and Karan Aujla, among others
The Great Indian Village
Everyone's favourite OTT show, Panchayat, is back for a third season on Amazon Prime Video. Expect a lot of laughs
VISUAL CONSTRUCTS
CLASSICS OF MODERN SOUTH ASIAN ARCHITECTURE ARE PORTRAYED IN THESE VOLUMES
TROPICAL TROPES
Tropical Modernism, an exhibition at the V&A, London, looks at the adoption of this architectural style in post-independence India and Ghana
INDIAN ARMY FACES THE GORKHA QUESTION
THE PANDEMIC AND NEPAL'S OPPOSITION TO THE AGNIPATH SCHEME HAVE STALLED GORKHA RECRUITMENT IN THE INDIAN ARMY. THEIR FALLING NUMBERS ARE A STRATEGIC CONCERN FOR INDIA, PARTICULARLY AMIDST RISING SPECULATION ABOUT CHINESE PLANS TO INDUCT THE LEGENDARY SOLDIERS