By Agniva Ray
Key Points:
The Farmers in Tamil Nadu are staging a unique protest against the withholding of Cauvery river water by Karnataka this year.
The poor rainfall, along with the water shortage has caused irregular Kuruvai crop cultivation.
The farmers are demanding compensation for the losses, immediate release of the water by Karnataka and have also opposed the construction of the Mekadetu Dam.
ON AUGUST 2, 2026, FARMERS from Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta districts staged a unique protest by burying themselves neck-deep in the sand, demanding the immediate release of their share of the Cauvery river water from Karnataka. Amidst the poor rainfall and insufficient supply of water, the farmers in Tamil Nadu are facing immense irregularities to cultivate the Kuruvai crop—a short duration rice crop cultivated in the month of June to September in the state.
A recently published report by The Hindu, also indicated a decrease in the total Kuruvai cultivation, marking a fall from 5.05 lakh acres to 3.87 lakh acres in July, 2026. Stating these concerns at the fore, the farmers began a protest on August 3, 2026. Led by Ponnusamy Ayyakannu, the farmers organized a protest by burying themselves in neck-deep sand in the banks of Cauvery river at Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. Their demands are simple; release the rightful share of Cauvery’s water and to question the Karnataka government for causing such deliberate mishaps.
The Farmers protest is led by the Desiya Thennindhiya Nathigal Innaipu Vivasayigal Sangam (DTNIVS)—a Farmers’ organization in Tamil Nadu. By burying themselves in the neck-deep sand, they are trying to symbolize the manner in which their lives are being strangled amidst the politics of sharing the Cauvery river water. They have accused the Karnataka government for withholding the rightful water supply.
Citing the orders of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), the leader of the protest P. Ayyakannu—an activist, lawyer and farmer and the chief of the Desiya Thenindhiya Nathigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam—stated that the Karnataka government has not released the said 3500 Cusecs of water per day into Tamil Nadu. And has demanded the Tamil Nadu government to provide adequate compensation to the ailing farmers.
Speaking to the reporter, Ayyakannu said that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu must take immediate steps and secure the ₹1 crore compensation from Karnataka.
The lack of water supply directly impacted the cultivation of Kuruvai crops in Tamil Nadu. Official Reports noted a fall of more than 1 lakh acres of cultivated land than the previous year.
This has raised serious concerns among the farmers whose livelihoods are contingent upon the Kuruvai cultivation in the months of June to October.
The protesting farmers are also flagging the release of ‘excess water’ by Karnataka instead of its due share. While speaking to the reporters on August 3, 2026, Ayyakannu stated that the excess water from Karnataka’s Kabini dam is being channeled into Tamil Nadu. However, this has little utility for the farmers in Tamil Nadu. According to Ayyakannu, heavy rainfalls in Keralam caused severe floods. And that water could have been easily directed to the Bhavanisagar Dam in Tamil Nadu.
Instead, the water was channelised to the Kabini Dam in Karnataka. But since Kabini has exhausted its capacity, 25,000 cusecs of water is now released into Tamil Nadu. For the protesting farmers, this supply of water is seldom an act of following the due directions of the CWMA. Rather, it is to drive out the excess water from Karnataka.
Additionally, another line of criticism is also in place. And the Mekedatu dam project is at the heart of it. This project has been the point of contention between the two states for a long time.
The Mekedatu Dam is a proposed reservoir cum drinking water project. It was planned to be set up across the Cauvery river about 110 Km from Bengaluru at Mekedatu. The Initial efforts began around the 1980s and 1990s after Karnataka decided to construct a dam in Mekedatu. Since then, preliminary site studies, budget design and preparing the report of the entire project was done, reaching its primary conclusion in 2016. In 2016, Karnataka presented a Detailed Project Report. But it was challenged by Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court.
Karnataka has repeatedly cited its arguments for the construction of the dam. It believes that this would secure the future water supply for Bengaluru. And also help in managing the Cauvery basin better. Tamil Nadu however, has been apprehensive about the project with concerns over its own water availability. In a similar vein, the protesting farmers have also raised concerns over the construction of the Dam. Farmer leader Ayyakannu publicly stated that the construction of the Mekedatu Dam would further cause disruptions of Tamil Nadu’s water supply.
The Indian state has had its share of strong interstate disputes. Of them, it is the water-sharing crises that had the highest longevity. Be it the Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Narmada or the Beas river. All of them have embodied long-standing interstate disputes.
The roots of the Cauvery dispute travels back to the 19th century to the then Madras Presidency (present day Tamil Nadu) and the state of Mysore (now Karnataka). In an effort to resolve the dispute they signed an agreement in 1924. But it failed miserably. It was finally in August 1976 that a solution was worked out for sharing the river water. However, this too failed, as the then AIADMK government declined its ratification.
In an effort to resolve the crisis, a tribunal was set up by the Central Government in 1990 following the Supreme Court’s directions. Based on its findings, the tribunal ruled that Karnataka ought to release 205 billion cubic feet of water every year. However, the tribunal’s attempt to resolve the crisis escalated into violent riots in Karnataka, claiming the lives of at least twenty individuals belonging to Tamil Nadu.
The dispute reached newer heights in 1998 with the establishment of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA headed by the Prime minister and the Chief Ministers of the four states as its members (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Keralam and Pondicherry). However, this body would act as a conflict resolution mechanism, rather than an executive authority. As a result, the states would mostly approach the Supreme Court in order to implement the rulings of the Tribunals.
Despite such efforts, the resolutions could not see the light of the day. Fresh riots brewed again in 2016. The 2016 riots took place in Bengaluru after the Supreme court ordered Karnataka to release 12000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. Riots and violent clashes soon followed, with vehicles bearing Tamil Nadu number plates being torched openly. Any resolution of the water dispute thus, appeared bleak.
Amidst this situation, the protesters have been demanding the accountability of the Karnataka government. They want the immediate release of their due share of Cauvery river water. At the same time, the protesting farmers have also called upon the current TVK government in Tamil Nadu to pressurize and build the case for the struggling farmers. They want the Tamil Nadu government to demand and facilitate monetary compensation from the Karnataka government.
As of now, the Tamil Nadu government has moved to the Supreme court on August 3, 2026. They have appealed for urgent directions to Karnataka in upholding the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directions. The CWMA in its order had directed Karnataka to release 3500 Cusecs of water per day into Tamil Nadu for 15 days, starting July 29. However, according to the authorities of the Tamil Nadu government, Karnataka had only released 158 Cusecs to 530 Cusecs of water between July 29 and August 2, 2026.
Meanwhile, Opposition Party DMK’s leader Udaynidhi Stalin had staged a protest against the current government. He criticised the government for being ‘negligent’ and ‘arrogant’. At the same time, he also demanded that the government waive all agricultural loans, counter Karnataka’s Mekedatu Dam, and declare the delta districts as ‘drought-affected areas’.
The water supply crisis has peaked in Tamil Nadu. Its delta districts are the worst affected. Alongside that, the cultivation of Kuruvai crops have also declined this year. Amidst all these crises, the farmers have continued to raise their voices. They demand an immediate resolution of their deplorable situation. They want their rightful and due share of water from the Cauvery river.
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