Bengaluru, July 31 (HS): Protests intensified across Karnataka on Friday following the direction to release Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, with farmer groups and pro-Kannada organisations opposing the move and warning of a statewide bandh if the decision is not reconsidered.

Members of a faction of the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV), led by Praveen Shetty, staged a torchlight march in Ramanagara district, describing the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's (CWRC) directive as unscientific and urging the state government not to release water in view of Karnataka's own water requirements.

Several Kannada organisations have reportedly convened a meeting in Bengaluru to chalk out their future course of action, including the possibility of a statewide bandh and a wider agitation against the water release order.

The protests have also spread to Mandya and Mysuru districts, where farmers blocked roads, alleging that Karnataka is itself facing water scarcity and that releasing additional water to Tamil Nadu would adversely affect irrigation and the interests of farmers in the state.

The fresh round of protests follows the decision of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to reject Karnataka's request for additional time to release water. The Authority retained the recommendation that Karnataka release 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water daily for 15 days to Tamil Nadu.

The issue has also acquired political significance ahead of the proposed visit of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay to Karnataka on August 3, during which he is expected to hold discussions with Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on the long-standing Cauvery water-sharing issue.

The Cauvery river dispute remains one of the most sensitive inter-state water-sharing issues between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The dispute often resurfaces during years of deficient monsoon when reservoir levels decline, leading to disagreements over water allocation between the two states.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar