Cauvery Calling: Why are NGOs urging Leonardo DiCaprio to withdraw support?

New Delhi, Sep 26: More than 90 civil society groups and NGOs under the banner of Coalition for Environmental Justice in India have urged Legendary actor and Oscar award-winner Leonardo DiCaprio to withdraw support support to Cauvery Calling campaign launched by Isha Foundation and headed by 'Sadhguru' Jaggi Vasudev.

In a written letter, they wrote,"You may have been poorly advised or not have had the time to personally investigate the background of the promoters of Cauvery Calling before you embraced the programme with this message on Facebook."

Concluding the letter, they also invited DiCaprio to visit the Cauvery basin to experience the situation on-ground.

"We would like you to join our grassroots based, consultative, collective and networked efforts, to rejuvenate Cauvery. We also urge you to withdraw your call for support to Cauvery Calling," the letter read.

On September 21, the actor had endorsed had written, "India's rivers are severely endangered with many of its smaller rivers vanishing. Join Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation in their fight to preserve the Cauvery River."

A press release said that the Cauvery Calling campaign was launched in July with an aim to revitalise the dying river which is the source of livelihood, irrigation and drinking water for 84 million people.

The movement aims at supporting lakhs of farmers in the Cauvery basin to plant 242 crore trees in an economic plan that is expected to revive not just the river but the fortunes of farmers in the basin as well.

DiCaprio is a vocal environmentalist, and has spoken about climate change at the UN, and via the several documentaries he has produced on the subject.