The high-level technical team, constituted by the Supreme Court to assess the ground reality in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, conducted an aerial survey of the KRS reservoir, besides listening to the farmers who poured out their woes on crop losses owing to deficient monsoon in Hassan and Mandya districts.
Central Water Commission chairman G.S. Jha, head of the team, said they would submit their report to the Supreme Court on October 17.
Speaking to presspersons at Gorur in Hassan taluk, Mr. Jha said: “We have understood the ground realities. Farmers are in distress.”
A memorandum presented to the team at Gorur by officials showed that the reservoir (Hemavati) had received the least inflow this year since 2011.
There were many emotional scenes in both districts as farmers met the team. A former gram panchayat member, Nagendra, from near KRS reservoir, and women at Bookanakere village touched the feet of Mr. Jha, who was clearly taken aback. At Alagondanahalli in Hassan district, a paddy grower fell at Mr. Jha’s feet. He said that they belong to a former Prime Minister’s constituency (Hassan represented by H.D. Deve Gowda) but they did not have water to even drink.
The farmers said they had lost crops for the last four years and were already also facing acute shortage of fodder.
