Any "water sharing" solution to the Cauvery dispute among the southern peninsula states will always appear unfair to one or more states involved. Politicians are playing to their constituents and stirring up emotions by projecting the tribunal award as a victory for one and as an injustice to the others. Instead, the focus should have been on "water management" to bridge the availability and demand.
During the SW and NE monsoon months, is there no discharge of excess water into the Bay of Bengal? In the 17 years that the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal has been deliberating on this issue, many small reservoirs could have been built in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to store this excess discharge and improve availability.
Why are water requirements being projected for 2-3 yields per year of water intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane? Agriculture experts could have been consulted on crop selection and crop patterns to optimize water needs for cultivation, while preserving farmer incomes.
The irony is that the further downstream you go along the Cauvery, the greater is the demand being placed on the river which has led to this untenable situation today. Take the case of the average farmer in Kodagu district where the Cauvery originates. There is no irrigation scheme for farmers here, and they rely directly on the monsoon rains. They have learned to be happy by raising just 1 crop/year. But as you go further downstream to other districts in Karnataka state, farmers are not happy with growing even 2 crops/year and want more water for irrigation. Next, there is the case of Bangalore. The city's unbridled growth in the last decade has placed a severe strain on all infrastructure, not just water resources. Tanks and lakes have been drained and converted to sites for property development. This has badly affected aquifer recharge and ground water levels in the area. And finally, when you go further downstream to the districts in Tamil Nadu, farmers want water to grow 3 crops/year! Why are these unreasonable demands being placed on the Cauvery?
There must be an integrated water management plan for the sustainable existence of all people living in the Cauvery basin area. Unfortunately there is no political vision, pragmatism, or statesmanship in India today to make this happen.
