Deforestation, urbanisation, illegal mining and dumping of effluents along the river has left the basin battered and bruised. Decades of degradation has led to an unprecedented crisis for the 15 million who live on its banks.
Jitendra travels along the course of one of India’s biggest rivers to understand why its level hit a record low this year
MOVE ON, AND live long, Oh Cauvery!” For some 15 million people living on the banks of this river and its 21 tributaries, the ode by Prince Ilango Adigal in the Tamil epic Silappadikaram is the mantra of life. More so, because barely a trickle now remains in the 805-km river that flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. There’s not more than knee-deep water in Talakaveri, the source of the river in Karnataka’s Kodagu district. The water here is so still that it has turned green with algae. It is mindboggling how this is possible in the Western Ghats, one of India’s highest rainfall zones.
Last year, the Cauvery basin received 4 percent above normal rainfall. By August, all the dams were overflowing and soon both the states were drowning in floods. This year, the two states are reeling under a severe and unprecedented water crisis. In Kodagu, every lane is dotted with water tankers. Water crisis forced schools to extend their summer vacation in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. In a locality in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, residents complained that sewage water was flowing out of hand pumps, the only source of water in their area. The situation forced the Cauvery River Management Water Board to ask the Karnataka government to release water to Tamil Nadu.
Monsoon broke in Karnataka a week late, on June 8 this year. The drying riverbed hoped to be agush with water. The season has completed half its cycle but registered 46 percent deficit rainfall. A reprieve for the river seems unlikely. “The river stagnates every year in May. This year, it stopped flowing in March itself. I have never seen such a miserable state of the Cauvery,” says 57-year-old Choomi Puvaya, a big farmer WHO owns 35 hectares (HA) in different parts of Khardigone village in Kodagu.
Denne historien er fra August 01, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra August 01, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara