Suttur Mutt seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami has given a call for addressing the Cauvery water issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu urgently.
In a statement here, the seer said the issue needs to be addressed urgently in consultation with Government of India, Supreme Court, the Tribunal, and experts of neutral States. “We strongly urge that the water requirements of Karnataka for agriculture and drinking should be met before releasing it to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The seer said the Cauvery issue has been a burning issue for centuries. “Since the beginning, Tamil Nadu has gotten more than its share of water. The farmers of Cauvery basin in Karnataka are continuously facing water shortage. The drinking problems in Mysuru and Bengaluru are escalating due to this. The end of this issue does not appear to be in sight,” he said.
He pointed out that the Karnataka government was always responding to the farmers’ plight of the neighbouring State and respecting the decisions of the Tribunal and the courts, despite stiff resistance from the people. “This should not be assumed as the weakness of the State by anyone. There is a need for a solution to the problem,” he said before emphasising that the distribution of water needs to be based on the annual rainfall and water storage in the Cauvery basin.
As the problem will continue as long as there is drought and a shortfall in rain, the seer said the issue needs to be addressed urgently.
It may be mentioned here that the seer of Adichunchanagiri Mutt Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swami too had turned up at the site of protest in Mandya recently against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and had urged the State government to bring the dire situation in Karnataka to the notice of Supreme Court and work in the direction of coming up with a distress formula.
