Give science priority over politics
Noted agronomist and former chairperson of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) I C Mahapatra has provided crucial scientific inputs in the Cauvery river case. He prepared an affidavit statement for the Karnataka government, which was presented before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 1993. In the following interview, Mahapatra speaks his mind on the issue
Do you feel that the legal process has had any significant impact on the ongoing controversy?
The tribunal has been functioning for 12 years, and a decision should be taken now on the basis of the scientific data available. But very few inputs are being taken from scientists or agriculturists. The main issue is, therefore, not being addressed properly.
What is this issue?
The urgent need to introduce sweeping changes in the cropping pattern in the Cauvery basin. The document we filed presents a list of efficient crops other than rice that can be grown with minimum water requirement. Karnataka can go for ragi, jowar, bajra, horsegram, redgram, groundnut, castor and coconut under rainfed conditions. It can choose from sugarcane, maize, tomato, brinjal, chillies, mulberry, tomato, potato, turmeric, ginger, grapes, banana, betel and maize under irrigated conditions. In TN, 62 per cent of the river basin grows rice. Our study shows that a single crop of the samba variety will give far higher yield than thaladi or kuruvai crops. Apart from rice, the state should opt for ragi, groundnut, sesamum, castor, blackgram, greengram, sugarcane and cotton.
But will cultivating these crops prove equally profitable for the states' farmers?
They may, in fact, stand to gain. Take the example of farmers in Andhra Pradesh