The dwindling storage in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin reservoirs due to drought prevailing in the State has caused concerns in the downstream areas, besides typically escalating the legal tussle over inter-State sharing of the river water. But the plight of the sensitive ecosystem of Kodagu, which is the main catchment area as well as place of origin of the river, is yet to get due attention.
This tiny hilly district located in the pristine Western Ghats region should receive good rains if the Krishnarajasagara (KRS) reservoir, located in the downstream, has to get adequate inflows to take care of irrigation requirement of farmers in command areas and drinking water needs of towns and cities in the basin, including Bengaluru. Also, the State’s experience has shown that the inter-State sharing of Cauvery water does not get complicated when there are good rains in Kodagu.
Rainfall pattern
This year, Kodagu district has reported a cumulative rainfall deficit of 42% during Southwest monsoon that ended on September 30 as against the State’s average deficit of 25%. In fact, the deficit was as high as 80% in June and 82% in August in this district. In absolute numbers, this quantum of shortage would be a huge one as Kodagu is one of the high-rainfall receiving districts with an average of 2,188 mm for the Southwest monsoon, which is the mainstay of the rainfall system in the State’s southern region.
Any deficit in Southwest monsoon seriously impacts the weather system and agriculture as this part of the region gets 70% to 73% of the annual rain fall during Southwest monsoon while the Northeast monsoon accounts for only around 23% of the rainfall.
This deficit would not just impact the ecosystem of the district, but the flow of river in the entire Cauvery basin that transcends State boundaries.
Micro reservoir system
While legal experts are worried about dwindling storage in KRS, naturalists well-versed with the Kodagu landscape are concerned about decline in rain-fed paddy cultivation in Kodagu which they say is a micro reservoir system that sustains the ecosystem of Kodagu and the Cauvery river.
“We have an age-old practice of cultivating paddy in the valleys with the help of rainwater. These paddy fields act like small ponds as we impound rainwater in them for three to four months. These paddy fields will feed streams and rivulets which in turn strengthen tributaries of Cauvery. But the cause of concern now is that cultivation of paddy has reduced by nearly 50%,” says Dr. C. G. Kushalappa, noted scientist and retired dean of College of Forestry in Ponnampet, who has studied the ecosystem of Kodagu for over 35 years.
According to him, farmers are shunning paddy mainly because it is not remunerative. The high labour cost and man-animal conflict near the Nagarahole National Park are also forcing them to shun paddy cultivation. Another major reason for shunning the paddy cultivation is rapid commercialisation which is making farmers to either sell off or take up construction activities on paddy fields which are more suited for construction than the slopes, he observes.
Expressing concern that shunning paddy cultivation is affecting particularly the summer flow of Cauvery river as well as the Kodagu ecosystem, he suggests that the government revive rain-fed paddy cultivation by providing an incentive of ₹ 10,000 an acre. The government, NGOs and corporates should join hands in this endeavor, he suggests. Pointing out that farmers near the national park have completely shunned paddy cultivation due to man-animal conflict, he suggests building community fences for the entire villages. He has also mooted the idea of bringing a law to impose checks and balances on selling away the paddy lands for commercial purposes.
“If the government wants continued flow of Cauvery even during summer, then the need of the hour is to demonstrate sustainable development model involving paddy cultivation backed by incentive in a couple of villages so that other too would get attracted,” says Dr. Kushalappa. He particularly opposes indiscriminate commercialisation in this hot tourist destination and refers to previous years’ episodes of landslips in the areas that witnessed intense commercialisation and construction activities.
Former member of Coffee Board of India and an expert on coffee industry as well as Kodagu ecosystem, Bose Mandanna too expresses concern over rapid commercialisation that is affecting the ecosystem in sensitive zones of Kodagu. “People from outside invest in land here for commercial purposes. This has resulted in huge constructions coming up on ecologically sensitive areas. We saw its impact in 2019 when landslides were witnessed in several sensitive zones of Kodagu when it rained 40 inches in a single day,” he recalls.
“It is okay to allow conversion of agricultural land for construction for residential purposes. But conversion of agricultural land for large constructions like big resorts should not be allowed. It is not wise to allow such huge constructions atop hills,” he says.
Kodagu unit president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha Manu Somaiah too expresses anger over indiscriminate commercialisation in the district. “Kodagu being a tourist destination, outsiders show a lot of interest in buying land here for commercial purposes. Politicians too are buying lands here in others’ names (benami ownership),” he alleges, while expressing concern that estate owners end up selling part of their lands due to the mounting loan burden.
The situation in Kodagu clearly shows that the riparian States have to look at Cauvery river from a holistic perspective where sustainable ecosystem is an integral part rather than merely trying to manage with the inflows into reservoirs.
