Farmers protesting against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu staged a road blockade outside the suburban bus-stand in Mysuru on Tuesday.
The farmers, who had gathered outside the suburban bus-stand in the city under the leadership of the Federation of Karnataka Farmers’ Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar, shouted slogans against the State government for releasing water from KRS and Kabini reservoirs to Tamil Nadu.
Even though the State government has issued public statements that it would not release water to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Shanthakumar alleged that the State had begun complying with the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) order to release 5,000 cusecs for 15 days by discharging water clandestinely through the two dams.
The farmers participating in the road blockade alleged that the State government was betraying the farmers whose interests it had vowed to protect. Mr. Shanthakumar alleged that the State government had failed the keep its words. He claimed that the State government was sacrificing the interests of the farmers by clandestinely releasing water to Tamil Nadu through the reservoirs of the State.
Foreseeing even a drinking water crisis to people of Bengaluru and Mysuru regions in the coming days, he sought an immediately replacement of Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar while urging the State government to reject the CWMA’s direction on release of water.
Mr. Shanthakumar called upon the general public and farmers of Cauvery basin to turn the heat on the elected representatives of the region.
Meanwhile, the road blockade led to disruption in movement of traffic, forcing the police to intervene and ask the farmers to call off the road blockade. But, the farmers, who refused to budge, entered into an altercation with the police, who eventually bundled them into a vehicle and arrested them.
They were taken away to the City Armed Reserve (CAR) grounds and later released.
Meanwhile, an official bulletin released at 8 a.m. on Tuesday said there was an outflow of 2,171 cusecs to the river and 3,564 cusecs to the canal from KRS reservoir. The inflow was shown to be 7,007 cusecs while the reservoir level stood at 97.06 feet against the maximum level of 124.8 feet.
Similarly, the outflow from Kabini reservoir at 8 a.m. on Tuesday was shown to be 1,663 cusecs to the river and 2,390 cusecs to canal. The water level in the reservoir was 2,276.18 feet (above sea level) against the maximum of 2,284 feet (above sea level).
