UNI

Mysore, Feb 25: The quiet-flowing Cauvery, which has turned into a river of sorrow for more than a century due to the prolonged dispute on sharing of its waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, is back in turmoil with farmers agitated over the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final award.

The emotional bond of the people with the river is so vibrant that the farmers in the Cauvery basin of the State are prepared for any sacrifice to fight for a fair share of the waters. Agitated over the allocation of 419 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu as against 270 tmc ft awarded to the State, farmers in the basin districts had taken to the streets. The protests had not only crippled the economy of these districts, especially Mysore which heavily depended on tourist inflow, but also affected traffic between Mysore and Bangalore.

At last count on Friday, more than 500 agitations have been held since February five when the award was declared by the Tribunal, affecting life in the districts of Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, besides parts of Bangalore Rural.

The Cauvery Hitarakshana Samithi, spearheading the agitations, was of the view that the award had sounded a death knell to the agrarian economy of the region and thousands of farmers would become jobless as their farm lands would be parched for want of water and they would be forced to migrate to other areas.

Farmers have taken padyatra from the Kabini and KRS reservoirs to the Raj Bhavan in Bangalore to submit their plea to the Centre, through the Governor, about their plight.

Even though the Tribunal had in its final award directed Karnataka to release 192 tmc ft at Biligundlu point, as against 205 tmc at Mettur as per the interim order in 1991, farmers expressed dissatisfaction over the order, stating that the storage capacity in the reservoirs across the Cauvery in the State was inadequate to meet the conditions stipulated by the Tribunal.

Farmers in Pandavapura and Mandya, who spoke to UNI, said the water availability in the reservoirs was not adequate even to meet the irrigation requirements of the State.

The farmers strongly oppose release of water from these reservoirs to Tamil Nadu. Some of them said they were prepared to give their blood for water.

Farmer Mallesh of Gejjlagere between Mandya and Mysore expressed apprehension over the implementation of the order in the manner the tribunal had spelt out, especially during the dry months between December and May. ''How can the Tribunal seek the State to release water to Tamil Nadu, when our own lands require water for irrigation during these months. What will be our fate, the Tribunal should think,'' he asked in an agitated mood.

Cauvery Hitarakshana Samiti President G Made Gowda was highly critical of the Tribunal's award and accused the State Government of failing to protect the farmers' interest. The agitation would be peaceful and farmers would desist from paying taxes if the Government failed to take necessary steps on the issue. The farmers were prepared for a long struggle and sacrifices, and would not mind even imprisonment to protect their water rights, he said.