Everyday, we Bangaloreans drink Kaveri - the most disputed water of India. It is the water which is worshiped by millions and fought over by million others. For a river 765 Km long, Kaveri is extremely voluminous. This is mainly due to the heavy rainfall it receives in the western ghats region, and the tributaries which flow into it. The Kaveri water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is undoubtedly one of the biggest issues South India faces today.
The Kaveri water debate is not new. It has existed for more than 200 years now. Even during the British Raj, there existed disputes between Mysore and Madras. Madras, being their province, was always favored by the Britsh. The only Englishman who sided with Mysore was Colonel Sanky. Interestingly a lake, built by Sir M Vishveshwaraiah exists in Bangalore in his name.
There exists numerous dams on Kaveri, but the two key dams in the debate are Krishna Raja Sagar dam in Mandya (Karnataka) and Mettur dam in Salem (Tamil Nadu). Incidentally, KRS was also built by Sir M. Vishveshwaraiah. Mettur dam was built in line with KRS a few years later. Both are important dams, and are at-least 80 years old.
Even though the storage capacity of Mettur (93.4 TMC) is almost twice that of KRS (49 TMC), the water requirement of both states put together is 57% higher than the stored supply. While the city of Bangalore drinks Kaveri water, the irrigation and industrial requirements in both states are tormenting high. Both states have their genuine claims and concerns on the matter.
While approximately 42% of the river basin area is in Karnataka and 54% is in Tamil Nadu, the Government of India asks 37% of the water to be used by Karnataka and 58% by Tamil Nadu. People supporting Karnataka claim that since they contribute 53% of the water sources to the river, they must have a larger share. Tamil Nadu supporters reply by asking Karnataka to better utilize their rains and other river sources, and Kaveri is the only major river they have got.
Karnataka says it can't really do anything about the Kaveri basin, since the west flowing rivers in coastal Karnataka are of no use to the Mandya farmers or Bangalore homes. Bangalore, being 3050 ft above sea level (highest for any Indian metro city) has no choice but to draw water from Kaveri (the next nearest river being Krishna, four times as far). Karnataka asks Tamil Nadu to better utilize their Kaveri water and minimize what drains into the Bay of Bengal. Tamil Nadu complains that Karnataka violates Supreme Court orders. Kerala and Pondicherry are also involved in the dispute at smaller levels.
The equation is complicated and the variables are too many. The debate is never ending. Protests have happened on both sides. In 1991, when riots broke out, 18 people were killed. This shows how intolerant and violent humans can get, when it comes to water. NH-4 was blocked and many vehicles were damaged. Thousands of Tamil families had to flee from Bangalore in fear of being attacked. The violence and show down lasted for nearly a month and most schools and educational institutions in Bangalore remained closed during this period. Numerous elections have been fought and won on water sharing agenda on both sides and nothing much on the solution level has happened.
In order to even look for solutions, it has to be first understood that the problem of Kaveri water sharing is not an 'us' vs 'them' debate. Politicians, film-stars and the so called 'activists' who cannot look beyond the imaginary boundaries of their states, must be asked to stay at home. Technical people and engineers with unbiased scientific data and inputs from victims (like the farmers) must be involved in resolving the issue. It must be well understood that a farmer getting water to irrigate his crops is much more important than washing the malls of Bangalore.
It must also be understood that river Kaveri is not any one state's property. It has to be shared. There is an entire herd of politicians on both sides, who claim that their state should get everything, and others don't matter. Since both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are progressive states that are doing pretty well in the Indian context, a peaceful co-existence between the two is extremely important.
At the level of solutions, it is important to conserve water at individual levels. With growing population, there will be lesser and lesser Kaveri water for both states. Industries which can thrive on recycled water should be enforced to do so. Why should a paper mill, a textile industry or a poultry use up the precious water which can irrigate land or be drunk by millions? Rain water harvesting is another solution. While it is slowly getting implemented in cities, we must do it enthusiastically in rural areas, as a proactive measure to fix our water issues.
The governments on both sides must start reviving smaller rivers and lakes. Several lakes in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which existed to serve people nearby are today dead due to industrial waste and pollution. In the long term the solution lies in interlinking rivers nationwide - a project which still remains on paper. We often read that there are floods in North India, while South India faces famines.
Kaveri is only the tip of the iceberg. Politicians and jokers across the nation are drawing personal benefits over cross-border water sharing agendas of Narmada, Krishna, Godavari, Mandovi, among several other rivers. With efforts early on and fixing our water needs, we will be able to fix, and avoid many more problems to come.
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