Ecosystem in Cauvery’s birthplace cries for attention amidst 42% deficit in Southwest monsoon rainfall

The dwindling storage in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin reservoirs due to drought prevailing in the State has caused concerns in the downstream areas, besides typically escalating the legal tussle over inter-State sharing of the river water. But the plight of the sensitive ecosystem of Kodagu, which is the main catchment area as well as place of origin of the river, is yet to get due attention.

The dwindling storage in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin reservoirs due to drought prevailing in the State has caused concerns in the downstream areas, besides typically escalating the legal tussle over inter-State sharing of the river water. But the plight of the sensitive ecosystem of Kodagu, which is the main catchment area as well as place of origin of the river, is yet to get due attention.

This tiny hilly district located in the pristine Western Ghats region should receive good rains if the Krishnarajasagara (KRS) reservoir, located in the downstream, has to get adequate inflows to take care of irrigation requirement of farmers in command areas and drinking water needs of towns and cities in the basin, including Bengaluru.  Also, the State’s experience has shown that the inter-State sharing of Cauvery water does not get complicated when there are good rains in Kodagu.

This year, Kodagu district has reported a cumulative rainfall deficit of 42% during Southwest monsoon that ended on September 30 as against the State’s average deficit of 25%. In fact, the deficit was as high as 80% in June and 82% in August in this district. In absolute numbers, this quantum of shortage would be a huge one as Kodagu is one of the high-rainfall receiving districts with an average of 2,188 mm for the Southwest monsoon, which is the mainstay of the rainfall system in the State’s southern region. 

Any deficit in Southwest monsoon seriously impacts the weather system and agriculture as this part of the region gets 70% to 73% of the annual rain fall during Southwest monsoon while the Northeast monsoon accounts for only around 23% of the rainfall. 

This deficit would not just impact the ecosystem of the district, but the flow of river in the entire Cauvery basin that transcends State boundaries. 

While legal experts are worried about dwindling storage in KRS, naturalists well-versed with the Kodagu landscape are concerned about decline in rain-fed paddy cultivation in Kodagu which they say is a micro reservoir system that sustains the ecosystem of Kodagu and the Cauvery river. 

“We have an age-old practice of cultivating paddy in the valleys with the help of rainwater. These paddy fields act like small ponds as we impound rainwater in them for three to four months. These paddy fields will feed streams and rivulets which in turn strengthen tributaries of Cauvery. But the cause of concern now is that cultivation of paddy has reduced by nearly 50%,” says Dr. C. G. Kushalappa, noted scientist and retired dean of College of Forestry in Ponnampet, who has studied the ecosystem of Kodagu for over 35 years.