Farmers in India’s southern state of Karnataka have initiated a day-long strike in protest against the sharing of water from the Cauvery River, which also flows through the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. This strike, which began on Friday, has prompted police to urge calm, resulting in the closure of all schools and public places. Thousands of farmers and trade union members have joined rallies as tensions escalate over a recent Supreme Court order mandating the sharing of Cauvery River waters.
T. Ramanujan, the leader of a farmers’ union in Karnataka, expressed the farmers’ determination, saying, “We will not let water from our river enter into the other state at a time when our farmlands are barren.”
The dispute over sharing the waters of the Cauvery River has been a long-standing legal battle, with millions of farmers in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu dependent on the river for irrigation.
In August, the Tamil Nadu government sought the intervention of the Supreme Court, while Karnataka argued that its reservoirs had insufficient water due to low rainfall. This week, street protests erupted following the court’s directive for Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of river water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days this month. A cusec is equivalent to one cubic foot, or 28 cubic liters, per second.
Protesters in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s tech hub, chanted slogans like “ours, ours, Cauvery is ours,” and called on police and government officials to join their protest. Many carried placards with messages such as “We will give our blood but not water.”
The government of Tamil Nadu contends that Karnataka has mismanaged the river and insists on limiting over-consumption of this shared resource. S. Kumar, a 48-year-old farmer in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district, lamented the situation, saying, “I have sown seeds, but the ground is dry due to scanty rainfall, and now we have a shortage of supply from the Cauvery River. Small farmers are struggling this year.”
The Cauvery River originates in the Talakaveri region of Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu before entering the Bay of Bengal.
Officials from an industry body in Karnataka reported that over 60% of manufacturing plants supported the strike, incurring losses of about four billion Indian rupees (over $48 million). Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, President of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry, acknowledged the losses, emphasizing the critical importance of water for sustaining life and food production. The dispute underscores the ongoing challenges and complexities surrounding water resources management in India.
