Does Israel have the solution to Cauvery waters dispute?

Each time the monsoon rains fail, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are at loggerheads fighting one battle after another in the courts. The battles have been so bitter and with no solutions in sight, the experts say that only the rain god can help. But then, there appears Israel at the door.

[Cauvery row: Path to a Constituional crisis]

"Open a door to Israel" was an event organised in Bengaluru recently in which the tiny country showcased its technological advancements in micro-drip irrigation.

Israeli experts claim that this practise could reduce the use of water for irrigation by 50 per cent.

According to an NDTV report, the experts claimed that by using this technique and ensuring proper fertilisers, the yield of sugarcane can be increased by 133 per cent.

Farmers in Karnataka grow sugarcane while those in Tamil Nadu grow paddy. Both crops require a lot of water and the dependency on the Cauvery water is extremely high.

Israel says that it used to have a major water problem. However, it is now a 'water surplus' country due to technologies such as drip irrigation, waste water recycling and desalination.

[Cauvery row: Can't release water till December, Karnataka tells SC]

Israel also says that it has proposed to help the Indian government.

The article, quoting Ziv Shalvi, Deputy Chief of Mission, Consulate General of Israel, says, "If you are flooding your field, you waste a lot of water. But if you are dripping it, the right amount required for the crop and with fertilisation it works for the crops. It is healthy and it is working all over the world."

There has been a lot of criticism of farmers in the Cauvery basin growing water
intensive crops.