Mysore: Members of Kabini Farmers’ Welfare Association (KFWA) and farmers from Chamarajanagar district on Monday staged a protest against Cauveri Neeravari Nigam, for allegedly releasing water from Kabini reservoir to Tamil Nadu.
The farmers claimed that though there has been no sufficient inflow of water to the reservoir in the past one week, Nigam officials are releasing water to Tamil Nadu. Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar said: “Many farmers in Chamarajanagar and Mysore districts are facing drought due to delayed monsoon. Lakhs of farmers depend on Kabini water. But still, officials are releasing water to Tamil Nadu,” he said, adding that 8,000 cusecs of water has been released to Tamil Nadu region in the past one week. “At present, the inflow is very low. Nearly 8 tmcft of water is required to touch 14-feet level,” the farmer leader said.
Shanthakumar said that there is also scarcity of water for animals. “Farmers have not started cultivation due to the delayed monsoon. Nigam officials are working as if they are agents of Tamil Nadu. They owe us an explanation as to how they released water. Though they have been appointed to work for the welfare of farmers of Karnataka, they keep favouring those in the neighbouring state,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the farmers also alleged that the chief minister has been indifferent to the farmers’ needs. They also threatened to lock the superintendent engineer’s office.