the verdict of the cauvery water disputes tribunal is out and looks like tamilnadu is happy and karnataka is not.

cauvery is one of the vital lifeline rivers of tamilnadu and cauvery (and also straddles kerala) with agriculture dependent heavily on cauvery water rather than with very low usage of local tanks/rain water harvesting/ponds/etc in the farming areas. naturally both karnataka and tamilnadu want lion share of the river.

but can courts/tribunals determine how water is being shared. i dont think so. this being an highly emotional issue, it should be sorted by a combination of factors like
a. continous interaction of cauvery basin farmers between the 2 states
b. monitoring of ever increasing command area between 2 states
c. sustainable farming practises
d. maintenance of local water sources like tanks/ponds which can store rain water as well as increase ground water table in the cauvery region of 2 states
e. techniques like rain water harvesting to boost ground water table.
f. sustainable crop patterns with reduced importance on water guzzlers like sugarcane.

let me repeat. this water issue between 2 states cannot be solved by court intrevention/tribunal awards. politicians of both sides should not use this issue as a vote bank or leadership-projection or victory-loss or my farmer vs your farmer or hunger fast opportunity, etc. not only the cauvery issue, any water issue (mullaperiyar, water issues between punjab and neighbouring states, etc) cannot be solved by courts as the ground level situation should be the one's to drive the solution.

only by involving the farmers on both sides and tapping the water judiciously can make sure this emotional issue does not play up. with bangalore and chennai being software hubs of the world, politicians on both sides should realise that this issue, if played up emotionally, can leave non-refundable scars on the vital economy (both agriculture and non-agriculture) on both states.

MIDS did a very good start by forming the cauvery family by involving farmers on both sides. we need more initatives like this to make sure mother cauvery is not only tapped for water but also preserved by preventing pollution, encroachments, etc. unless more initiatives like this is done and those initatives are driving the solutions from ground-up, we will be chasing the elusive goose called 'cauvery water solution'.

(below are some images of the majestic cauvery)