Activists from Kodagu have urged the state government to put an end to the largescale commercialisation of land in the Cauvery river catchment area, noting that the rampant land use change has affected the water inflow to the river.
Under the banner of Save Kodagu and Cauvery Campaign, activists led by Col C P Muthanna said conversion of green land for commercial land was negatively impacting the landscape.
Muthanna said if the present trend of commercial land conversions continues, sleepy towns will be merged with major cities within a few years.
“Gonikoppal, Ponnampet and Virajpet will become one single large city like Mysuru. In north Kodagu, Madikeri, Kushalnagar and Somwarpet will become another city. If we have two big cities in Kodagu, then all the Cauvery water will be required within the district and 70% of the water supply to Bengaluru will have to be cut off,” he said.
Listing out the companies which were engaged in building resorts, layouts and other activities, Muthanna said the owners of such entities should donate part of their riches to protect Kodagu rather than destroying it further.
“We also call on gram panchayats in Kodagu not to issue no objection certificates to real estate projects in the fragile region. Gram Panchayats already struggle to provide drinking water and managing garbage,” he said.
Noting that Cauvery was a lifeline for Mysuru, Mandya and Bengaluru apart from Kodagu, the activists sought the intervention of the government to save the district.
Published 25 March 2024, 23:09 IST