Farmers along Kabani hit by Karnataka-Tamil Nadu battle

KOZHIKODE: Farmers living on the banks of River Kabani in Pulppalli and Mullankolly panchayats of Wayanad would be the immediate victims if Karnataka decided to act in tune with the Supreme Court verdict to release water to Tamil Nadu as part of the inter-state water dispute on the water from River Cauvery. Recently, when Karnataka started releasing water to Tamil Nadu from the Beechnahalli Dam in Mysore district, the reservoir which is stored with water from River Kabani, the water-level of Kabani came down alarmingly, according to farmers residing on the banks.

For the last many decades, Karnataka has been successfully storing the water from River Kabani for their farming requirements in the Beechanahalli Dam and Kabini Dam across the border. When farmers of the Kabini basin in Karnataka protested, the release of water stopped immediately. It is to be recalled that the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal, in its final verdict in 2007, has awarded 30 TMC water to Kerala and of which 21 TMC was from Kabani sub basin.

Satheesan Nair, a farmer of Pulppalli told this newspaper that the state failed to save its water despite the favourable verdict of the tribunal. “The villages on the banks of River Kabani are witnessing a drought like situation now. With no rains there is no water to flow down to the river. If the situation is like this during monsoon, what would be in store for the farmers when the summer begins”, he lamented.  

The data of the Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS) of the Kerala Agricultural University, Ambalavayal, shows that the district received 876.5 mm rainfall from June 1 to August 31 this year. But, it was 1,248 mm during the corresponding period last year. Noted meteorological scientist Dr K.M. Sunil told this newspaper that not only Kabani, but all rivers originating from Wayanad would suffer this year due to thin monsoon. “Wayanad registered about 52 per cent less monsoon, lowest among the districts in state this year,” he added.