n Apr 27, around 100 Tamilians, including women and children, gathered in Civic Center, Old Downtown Scottsdale, to demand the immediate formation of the Cauvery River Management Board (CMB).
Why is Cauvery important for Tamil Nadu?
The word Cauvery / Kaveri in Tamil can be separated as “Ka” meaning Grove and “Veri” meaning expansion. Cauvery River has been instrumental in developing the farmlands in Tamil Nadu for more than 2000 years. Cauvery is referenced in numerous Tamil literatures over the past two mille
iums.
Regarded as the lifeline of Tamil Nadu, Cauvery is the only major river of the State, unlike Ka
ataka the upper-riparian State in the river basin, which also gets water from the Krishna and the Godavari rivers.
Cauvery accounts for 70% of canal irrigation in Tamil Nadu. As many as 25 lakh acres have been recognized as the State’s irrigated area under Cauvery. It is also a major source of drinking water for more than 20 districts in Tamil Nadu.
Cauvery dispute background
The sharing of Cauvery River has been the source of a serious conflict between the two states of Tamil Nadu and Ka
ataka. The dispute over its waters originated in the 19th Century during the British rule.
Cauvery river water tribunal was set up in 1990 after the failure of several rounds of talks between the two states. Dozens of meetings were held to find a settlement to the century-old dispute. In 2007, the tribunal ruled Tamil Nadu state would get 192bn cubic feet a year.
Current issue
Though the ruling of Cauvery river tribunal was binding, it was never implemented fully. So the state of Tamil Nadu went to Supreme Court. After lengthy consultations with expert committees, Supreme Court of India ruled in Feb 2018, to constitute Cauvery Management Board within six weeks and enforce sharing of Cauvery river water among the Indian states.
Even after the Supreme Court ruling, the Cauvery Management Board has not yet been constituted by the Gove
ment of India.
Current plight of the Tamil Nadu Farmers
In the recent years, huge number of Farmers have died of heart attacks or committed suicide, because of non-availability of adequate Cauvery water. Based on newspaper reports and independent inquiries by NGOs like People’s Union of Civil Liberties, more than 200 farmer deaths were reported between Dec 2016 and Jan 2017. Ground water level has receded sharply to a couple of hundred feet below ground level. Many farmers have been forced to move out of farming and migrated to urban areas.
Tamilians protest in Arizona
Throughout the world, Tamil speaking people have come out to express their support for the Tamil Nadu Farmers who are also protesting locally. The key demand is for immediate constitution of the Cauvery Management Board as directed by the Supreme Court of India.
In Old Town Scottsdale, around 100 Tamilians gathered to show solidarity with Tamil Nadu Farmers. A few participants spoke about the history of this dispute and current state of the Farmers. All the participants raised slogans advocating their demands. A signature campaign was also conducted and will be forwarded to the Indian Consulate General and In
