Sensitive ecosystem in Cauvery’s birthplace cries for attention amid deficit rainfall

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

In the news: Deficit rainfall and drought led to reduced storage in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin reservoirs.

Kodagu- Place of origin of Cauvery river:

Kodagu, which is the main catchment area as well as place of origin of the Cauvery river, is under stress due to the sensitive ecosystem.
Located in the Western Ghats region of karnataka.
The Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir is located downstream the cauvery river.

Rainfed cultivation of paddy in Kodagu:

There is an age-old practice of cultivating paddy in the valleys with the help of rainwater.
These paddy fields act like small ponds or a micro reservoir system that sustains the ecosystem of Kodagu and the Cauvery river.
Now, the farmers are shunning paddy mainly because it is not remunerative. The high labour cost, commercialisation of crops and man-animal conflict near the Nagarahole National Park are also forcing them to shun paddy cultivation.
The government is reviving rain-fed paddy cultivation by providing an incentive of ₹10,000 an acre.

Implication of rainfall deficit at Kodagu:

Drinking water needs of towns and cities in the basin, including Bengaluru will be impacted.
Inter-State sharing of Cauvery water may be hampered.
Deficit in storage of reservoirs.
Decline in rain-fed paddy cultivation in Kodagu.

Cauvery river:

Flows through Tamilnadu and Karnataka state.
Originate at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu district of the state of Karnataka.
It reaches the sea in Poompuhar, in Mayiladuthurai district. It is the third largest river – after Godavari and Krishna – in southern India, and the largest in the state of Tamil Nadu.
In ancient Tamil literature it was also called Ponni river.
Tributaries:
- Left- Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati, Sarabanga, Thirumanimutharu
- Right- Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravati, Moyar

Source: TH