Karnataka lawmakers fear an exodus from Bangalore over Cauvery issue

Karnataka lawmakers have apprehended a mass exodus from Bangalore in the wake of Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s meager allocation of water from the Cauvery river for the City’s drinking water requirements.

Presenting a grim scenario of the fast growing metropolis, legislators cutting across party lines turned combative during the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly in Bangalore and decried the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final award. “The poor allocation of drinking water from Cauvery for Bangalore will leave millions thirsty and trigger a mass exodus”, they feared.

With a population of seven million people, the authorities are presently drawing about 14 tmc feet of water from the river Cauvery every year. But, the Tribunal’s decision to put a ceiling of 1.75 tmc feet for Bangalore’s drinking water requirements has understandably raised the hackles of the lawmakers.

Pointing out that the City’s population is set to cross the 10 million mark in the next few years, the legislators said the drinking water requirements of Bangalore will reach 30 tmc feet by 2020.

The lawmakers also expressed their shock and bewilderment over the Tribunal’s ruling that only one third of Bangalore was entitled to Cauvery waters. “This is irrational and impractical”, said JD (U) leader J C Madhuswamy. “How can Cauvery water supply be restricted to just southern parts of the City, leaving the people in the rest of the City thirsty?”, he queried.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah joined the chorus against the Tribunal’s order and called for a legal battle on the issue. “Launch a legal battle before people in Bangalore are pushed to death without water”, he said.

The House resolved to urge the Centre to intervene in the matter, keeping in mind Bangalore’s stature as a global hub of information technology that is upholding India’s brand equity in the world.