Bengaluru: Sporadic protests by farmers and Kannada organisations in Karnataka broke out against the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) order directing the state to release 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Farmer organisations staged demonstration in Mandya, while various Kannada organisations gave a call for a Karnataka Bandh on August 13 in protest against the order.
The CWMA has directed Karnataka to comply with the decision of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to release 12,000 cusecs daily for 15 days, with the water to be realised at Biligundlu.The order has triggered strong opposition among farmers and pro-Kannada groups, who have demanded that the Karnataka government refuse to implement it and take a firm stand against releasing further water to Tamil Nadu.
“We will observe Bandh at any cost. I appeal to everyone to support our call for strike,” Vatal Nagaraj, convener of Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha told reporters.
The Mandya District Farmers' Welfare Protection Committee has announced a protest near the Visvesvaraya statue in Mandya on Wednesday, urging farmers, Kannada organisations, workers, women and citizens to participate.
“We have to protect the interests of Karnataka farmers. The government should not release water under any circumstances,” a farmer leader said, calling the CWMA direction a threat to the state's water security.
The protests are expected to intensify with Kannada organisations backing the bandh call on August 13 and urging people across the state to participate.