WHAT’S #CAUVERYISSUE?

Over the past several weeks, one of the most widely discussed issues in Bengaluru and neighbouring areas has been the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. Unfortunately, though, much of the talk was about the unrest in the city, bandhs, whether it was safe to venture out and, of course, about specific attacks on vehicles with Tamil Nadu registration and similar incidents across the border. With mainstream media reportage not shedding much light on the history of the issue, which dates back to a couple of centuries, and messages on social media not filling any blanks either, a large chunk of the city’s populace continues to remain oblivious to what the dispute really is about.
Sensing that there is general lack of awareness among people, a section of civic-conscious citizens are looking at changing that. In recent times, videos about the woeful lack of water conservation in the state, rampant deforestation in the Kodagu valley that is apparently causing poor rainfall in Karnataka and ones about the history of the Cauvery water-sharing agreement, have been doing the rounds.
Sujth Lad and Neelima’s three-minute untitled video, for instance, provides insights into the Cauvery water-sharing issue, while also highlighting the fact that the quantum of water to be shared has been determined year-on-year without taking actual rainfall into account.
Mysuru-based Pradhan MP is currently shooting a 20-minute short film called Waari, which is a study of how people and successive governments have failed to implement water conservation. While the film is not specifically targeted at the Cauvery issue, Pradhan says that the objective is to create awareness about the relevance of schemes such as rainwater harvesting, recycling and desalination of sea water in dealing with water scarcity. “It is about the necessity of saving water and the issues we will face, say, in about five years, if we fail to do so now,” he says.
Social-media groups like Save Kodagu, among others, have been highlighting the need to address illegal deforestation in the region, which is the primary catchment area of the Cauvery. Members of the community have been waging protests against development projects that require thousands of trees to be chopped, but rue that the issue has not been getting the required attention.
(With inputs from
Vinay Lokesh)