Tamil Nadu Farmers Association Organizes Rail Roko Agitation On Cauvery Water Issue

The Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, during a meeting of its office bearers on Wednesday, passed a resolution to launch a widespread agitation across all Delta districts of the state. The primary objective of this agitation is to exert pressure on the Central government to engage in discussions with Karnataka and facilitate the release of Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu.

The Farmers Association says that the Central government is favouring Karnataka in the Cauvery water issue, and this is bad for Tamil Nadu's farmers and the state. P.R. Pandian, who leads the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, said that the Union Government has consistently supported Karnataka in this water dispute, which is not good for Tamil Nadu. Pandian also mentioned that Basavaraj Bommai, a former Chief Minister of Karnataka and a leader in the BJP party, has made things worse by encouraging protests in Karnataka against sending Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, intense demonstrations broke out in Karnataka as a response to the allocation of Cauvery River water to Tamil Nadu, as mandated by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). Farmers voiced their opposition in the Cauvery region, including Mysuru, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar, in protest against the government's decision.

Pandian shared that in a recent meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), Union government representatives accused Tamil Nadu of improper paddy cultivation. He thinks these accusations are part of a bigger plan to harm Tamil Nadu. Pandian said that the Union Government should follow the CWMA's instructions, which are meant to solve problems related to sharing the Cauvery River's water. The Tamil Nadu Farmers Association's protest shows that farmers in the state are very unhappy about the Cauvery water issue. With tensions rising and accusations of unfairness increasing, all eyes are now on the Central government and its response to Tamil Nadu's concerns.

Cauvery Water Dispute

For many years, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been engaged in a long-standing dispute over sharing water from the Cauvery River, which is vital for both irrigation and drinking purposes for a significant population in the area.

To address this issue, the Indian government established the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990. The CWDT was created with the goal of resolving conflicts among Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Puducherry regarding the allocation of water resources. The Cauvery River basin, which covers an expansive cross-border region starting in Karnataka, passing through Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, and ultimately flowing into the Bay of Bengal, encompasses a total geographical area spanning 81,155 square kilometers.