Karnataka Farmers Stage All-Night Protest Against Cauvery Water Release

Farmers in Karnataka have staged a night-long vigil to protest against the directive mandating the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. The protest, which began on Wednesday in Mandya near Srirangapatna, is in response to a recommendation from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) that Karnataka release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu over a period of 15 days.

The farmers are opposed to the release of water, arguing that it will deplete the reservoirs in Karnataka and lead to a shortage of drinking water. They also say that the CWRC's recommendation was based on the assumption of a normal monsoon, which did not materialize this year.

The protest is being supported by Independent MLA Darshan Puttaiah, who is backed by the Congress party. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has also expressed solidarity with the farmers and has said that he will travel to Delhi on Thursday to discuss the issue with the central government.

Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court seeking an order to compel Karnataka to release the water. The state government has argued that it is entitled to the water under the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award.

Karnataka has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that the CWDT award was based on the assumption of a normal monsoon, which did not materialize this year. The state government has also said that it is willing to release 3,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu, but not the 5,000 cusecs that has been demanded.

The Cauvery water dispute is a long-standing one between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The two states have been locked in a legal battle over the sharing of the Cauvery river water for decades. The CWDT was constituted in 1990 to resolve the dispute, but its award has been challenged by both states in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter on Friday.

In addition to the farmers' protest, there have been other protests and demonstrations against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. On Tuesday, a group of farmers blocked a highway in Mandya to protest the release of water. There have also been protests in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka.

The Cauvery water dispute is a sensitive issue in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The two states have a history of violence over the issue. The latest protest is a sign that the dispute is still unresolved and that the two states are still far from reaching an agreement.