Sensitive ecosystem in Cauvery’s birthplace cries for attention amid deficit rainfall
- October 23, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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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