‘Strengthen Cauvery basin instead of fighting’: Sadhguru to Karnataka, TN; BJP MP Tejasvi Surya responds

Spiritual leader Sadhguru, also known by the name of Jaggi Vasudev, on Friday urged southern states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to strengthen the Cauvery basin to ensure year-long water flow instead of fighting over the low water levels, which prompted a reaction from Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya.

“Mother Cauvery does not know which state we belong to but she is suffering with depletion and drying up during the summer months. Bringing large scale tree based agriculture and vegetating the 83,000 sq kms of Cauvery basin is the only way Cauvery will flow 12 months of the year in abundance. Let us strengthen and enhance Mother Cauvery rather than fighting over depleted waters. Let wisdom prevail,” Sadhguru wrote on social media site X.

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This evoked a response from BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who thanked the leader and said both the states should look into the cropping pattern in the region.

“Thank you @SadhguruJV Ji for this important reminder to take steps to make Cauvery abundant though the year. In addition to the point you have made, I would urge both states to also seriously review our cropping pattern in the delta. Both states must try to make our cropping patterns more scientific, move away from water guzzling crops and opt more sustainable & less water consuming crops,” he posted.

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He also vouched for the controversial Mekedatu reservoir project, writing, “Also, we need to make our water management and conversation more efficient. The Mekedatu project, if done right, will benefit both states by helping store excess water in a surplus year. Bengaluru and other urban areas in the basin should also revive many lakes which will help with more water availability. While it is important to discuss the distress formula, it is more important to also think of making Kaveri flow abundant throughout the year.”