What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the words ‘Cauvery Water Dispute’? You don’t have to think too much for that as the horrible and chilling memories of the recent mob reaction on the Cauvery Water Dispute is still fresh in our minds.
According to reports, The ‘Irrigation Sector’ of Karnataka drinks down 65% of the share of Cauvery River water. Supreme Court’s recent orders of releasing more water to Tamil Nadu had ignited many people from Karnataka to come down to the streets and protest against it in a very violent nature.
More than 40 buses were burnt down to ashes and more than 200 people were detained in response to the act of Section 144 imposed in the state. A few vehicles with Tamil Nadu registration were attacked in the Karnataka capital and a lorry was set on fire in the outskirts of the city. A few other vehicles were also burnt down in south Bengaluru.
Farmers in Karnataka prefer to grow Sugarcane while farmers in Tamil Nadu produce Paddy. In both the cases, quite a heavy amount of water is required for the cultivation and growth of such crops. And since centuries, both the states are heavily relying on Cauvery River in terms of source of irrigation.
Now this year there is a deficit southwest monsoon which means a despair for both the states. Tamil Nadu is indeed in need of water from the Cauvery River for the production of the Samba crop ( a type of paddy) before the Northeast monsoon sets in, or else it risks being damaged during the rains.
Whereas Karnataka claims that it doesn’t have a drop of water to drink, forget about growing crops. Now in a midst of such a crisis, Israel has step up by intervening into the Cauvery Water Dispute.
The Israel country representative showcased some of its technological advancement in micro drip irrigation in an event called “Open a door to Israel,” held in Karnataka capital Bengaluru which indeed got many positive responses from various experts and concerned ministers.
Israel was once considered as a water starved country, but now claims to be a water surplus country. The sudden improvement and reduction in the scarcity of water is believed to be because of its rapid strides in technologies like drip irrigation, waste water recycling and desalination.
These new technologies introduced in the event held in Bangalore are expected to reduce the use of water for irrigation upto by 50%. They also claim that if these techniques are followed by proper fertilization, the yield of sugarcane can be increased by 133%.
For some folks who are not familiar with the technology or more precisely with the word ‘Drip Irrigation’, It is a form of irrigation that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters.
Ziv Shalvi, Deputy Chief of Mission, Consulate General of Israel, addressed media, "If you are flooding your field you waste a lot of water. But if you are dripping it, the right amount required for the crop and with fertilisation it works for the crops. It is healthy and it is working all over the world”
Isn’t that great ? A country helping another country by introducing new technologies in its agriculture sector which indeed a step forward for a mutual ecological sustainable development.