Farmers under the banner of State Sugarcane Growers’ Association staging a dharna at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mysuru on Monday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
With the Kabini reservoir’s water level declining by nearly 10 ft after being full just 25 days ago, farmers in the Kabini-Cauvery command area staged a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Monday, demanding that water be released for standing crops and further release to Tamil Nadu be stopped.Karnataka Farmers’ Organisations Federation president Kurubur Shanthakumar alleged that water was being released to Tamil Nadu at the cost of farmers in the command area, despite the reservoir having been full until recently.He criticised the State government for convening a meeting in Bengaluru to take a decision on water release without consulting the affected farmers.“This is an anti-farmer decision. The Kabini-Cauvery reservoirs were built primarily to serve the interests of farmers in Karnataka. The government should stop acting as a water supplier to Tamil Nadu at the cost of the farmers in the State,” he said.Mr. Shanthakumar demanded that the government immediately stop further release of water to Tamil Nadu and ensure adequate water for standing crops in the Kabini command area.He warned that farmers would be forced to take control of the Kabini reservoir if the government failed to prevent the reservoir from being emptied.Farmer leader Attahalli Devaraj took a dig at the government for holding the irrigation advisory committee meeting in Bengaluru. He questioned whether the district administration could not find a venue in the Kabini command area itself to discuss the water requirement of local farmers.Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanta Reddy, who visited the protest site, said he was leaving for the meeting in Bengaluru and assured the protesting farmers that their views and demands would be placed before the meeting. Published - August 24, 2026 07:55 pm IST
