No solution for river disputes, but parties make tall claims

Bengaluru: It is said that Bengaluru, and in fact the entire state, will face a severe water crisis in the coming years. But successive governments in the state and at the Centre have not been able to evolve a solution on sharing the Cauvery and Mahadayi river waters. But all political parties have assured voters in their manifestos that the problem will be solved once they are elected to form the government.

Ms Sowmya Reddy, the Congress candidate from Jayanagar, said, “The Mahadayi and Cauvery river water issues are of serious concern for the people of the state, especially farmers. The central government should step in and solve these issues by taking into consideration the plight of farmers and the common man.”

She said, “Three states are involved in the Mahadayi row and if the Prime Minister was interested, he could have called for a meeting and resolved the issue.  Instead, it is being politicised. On Cauvery, the state government has worked hard and proved to the Supreme Court that our farmers are in distress and lakhs of people in Mysuru, Bengaluru and surrounding regions are dependent on the river for their drinking water needs. These ground realities were presented to the Supreme Court and it ruled in our favour. But we never know what will happen in the future. Steps and measures should be taken to find a solution to the problem on a permanent basis.”

BJP candidate Nandish Reddy said, “Our party is aware of the seriousness of the issue. Senior leaders are working on it and have already started the discussions. We will find a solution when we form the government.”

But the voter is unhappy with the way political parties are treating these crucial issues. Mr Raghavendra Rao, a member of the Rajajinagar Resident Welfare Association, said, “It is a known fact that both rivers originate in Karnataka, but are being enjoyed by the neighbouring states. It is an irony that the people have not been able to use our own water. Whoever comes to power should resolve these issues. They should ensure that priority should be given to Karnataka and what is remaining should be shared by other lower riparian states.”

Mr Bhushan Hegade, a member of the C.V. Raman Nagar Resident Welfare Association, said that Karnataka has always been at the receiving end. “The government should realise that that the cities are expanding and population is on the rise, with a proportionate increase in demand for water. We cannot bank on the central government to solve such issues. We should look at our welfare first, and then the others’. We should also adopt the rain water harvesting system just to be on the safer side.”