The sharing of waters of the Kaveri river has been the source of a serious conflict between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The genesis of this conflict rests in two agreements in 1892 and 1924 between the erstwhile Madras Presidency and Princely State of Mysore. The 802 kilometres (498 mi) Kaveri river [1] has 44,000 km2 basin area in Tamil Nadu and 32,000 km2 basin area in Karnataka.

Karnataka contends that it does not receive its due share of water from the river. It claims that the agreements were skewed heavily in favour of the Madras Presidency, and has demanded a renegotiated settlement based on “equitable sharing of the waters”. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, pleads that it has already developed almost 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) of land and as a result has come to depend very heavily on the existing pattern of usage. Any change in this pattern, it says, will adversely affect the livelihood of millions of farmers in the state.Decades of negotiations between the parties bore no fruit.

A day after violence and arson on the streets of Karnataka’s Bengaluru, parts of the IT hub are under curfew. Protests over the state being asked to share Cauvery river waters with neighbor Tamil Nadu escalated yesterday after a Supreme Court ruling yesterday meant that Karnataka has to yield more water than it was asked to last week. One person was killed and two others injured in police firing on Monday night in tense Bengaluru, where curfew has been imposed in 16 sensitive localities.

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara tweets I request people of Karnataka to please maintain peace in the state. Don`t take law into your hands. Whereas Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu​ will brief media over Cauvery row shortly.

  cauvery river water dispute, karfu in Bangalore, Kaveri conflicts, Kaveri river disputes between Karnataka and TN