Various organisations from Dakshina Kannada and Hassan districts opposing the Yettinaholey river diversion project have formed a common platform under the banner ‘forum for protection of Nethravathi river’.

The forum, which took shape on Friday, has chalked out various plans to oppose the project. Though the Government claims that the project is aimed at diverting 24 tmcft of water from Yettinaholey in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district, the forum says it is a project aimed at diverting River Nethravathi. The forum said studies conducted by the scientists of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, show the availability of water from the project at 9.55 tmcft as against the Government’s claims of 24 tmcft.

Addressing presspersons in Mangaluru on Friday, Niranjan Rai, convener of the forum, said the forum would stage a road block and ‘jail bharo’ agitation at Pumpwell Circle on National Highway No. 66 in Mangaluru on October 15. The forum had successfully organised such a road block on National Highway No. 75 at Uppinangady last month.

The forum will also request nearly 200 gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada district to adopt a resolution opposing the project. As of now, nearly 40 gram panchayats have adopted a resolution opposing the project, he said.

Dinesh Holla, co-convener of the forum, said the united fight against the project is essential for protecting the eco-sensitive Western Ghats region in Karnataka.

He said five years ago his Sahyadri Sanchaya team had asked the government to protect river water sources in the Western Ghats from the Kudremukh range to the Pushpagiri range. It had also urged the Government to declare these areas as Nethravathi river area since the river gets water from these hill ranges, he said.

SP Chengappa, representing the lawyers’ association from Mangaluru, said the association would extend all legal support for the fight against the river diversion project.

Disputing the claims of the Karnataka Government that the Yettinaholey project is aimed at providing water to Chikballapur and Kolar districts, Sunny D’Souza, representing the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, said the politicians are pitting farmers of one district against another for their gains.

The attempts to divert rivers in China and Russia had failed. In such a situation it was essential to adopt rainwater harvesting methods in Kolar and Chikballapur. Many natural water tanks in those districts were vanishing, he said.

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