Category Archives: Nature

Mulled and brewed at home

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Nature

Bottled Goodness

WineKODAGU11jul2018

It is common to think of grapes when we talk about wines. But women of Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Hassan districts have shown that there’s more to wine than just grapes. Here, wine is made from a wide range of locally grown fruits and spices like jamun, ginger, pepper, betel leaf, gooseberry, orange, cashew apple, rice, banana, coffee, etc. These wines, traditionally mulled and brewed in the coffee estates of the State, are being perfected to be sold in domestic and international markets. Women entrepreneurs, who are at the helm of winemaking, ferment different flavours of wines as well.

In these districts, it is a custom to serve a cup of freshly brewed coffee to guests. In addition to coffee, homemade wine is now offered as a welcome drink at weddings and other joyous gatherings. It is also presented as a gift to relatives and friends. Not just that, it has become a good addition to the various products that travellers look for in these places.

Wine heritage

Amongst the three districts, Kodagu holds a prominent place as the producer of wine. The district has a uniformly distributed wet climate. The British have left their cultural footprints here, which reflects in the culture and lifestyle of the Kodavas. The wine has historically been a part of the Kodava diet and heritage and has been bettered through generations.

With the tourism sector experiencing a steady growth in the district, more than 1,000 women are now engaged in winemaking. While many of them brew for home consumption, the number of women taking it up as an income-generating activity is also on the rise. Winemakers say that since they produce wine in small quantities, they don’t have to register with the Wine Board.

Wine is made throughout the year and the ingredients change with the season. This art of perfecting homemade wine has seen higher success rates with the involvement of self-help groups. One such group is Rajarajeshwari Self-Help Group(RSHG) established by the women of Kargunda village in Madikeri taluk. For the past 16 years, the members of this group have been selecting the best quality fruits grown in their coffee plantations and blending them with various other locally sourced ingredients to make homemade wine.

RSHG is one of the first such groups to be formed by the Coffee Board of India. With 18 women entrepreneurs in its fold, two women work every day to ensure continuous production. “The health benefits of these wines are significant. For instance, black plum has positive effects on controlling diabetes and ginger has several medicinal effects,” says Jarina Uthappa, president of RSHG. Members Saroja Kalappa, Girija Chermanna and Gowramma Kaverappa say that over the years, there is an increase in tourist footfall to their shop, which is located on the route from Madikeri to Bhagamandala. And, many consider this outlet as a must-stop place for tourists.

The process

Sugar and the fruit of choice are added to boiled water and stirred at regular intervals for a period of five days. Then it is kept for 25 days, after which the fruit and sugar mixture is filtered into a bottle without any traces of the pulp being mixed. In order to separate the pulp from the liquid, Muslin cloth is used in the filtration process.

Only good quality fruits are used in winemaking. They do not use alcohol, yeast or any other form of preservatives during preparation. Of late, sugarless wine is also prepared. Customers can buy their products after tasting samples. The wine wine has a shelf life of up to two years. However, due to the natural process of fermentation, as years go by, the wine acquires five to 10% of alcohol content in it. It is safe to consume wine up to 60 ml after which it leads to intoxication. They sell about 150 to 200 bottles in a month and one bottle costs Rs 200.

Another successful self-help group, Coorg Wine Association(CWA) in Suntikoppa, is also a known name in wine production. Manu, a member, states that Kodavas have a cultural association with wine and it is seen as an energy drink here. At CWA, the process of fermentation is carried on for 90 days. Along with fruits, they also use pudina(mint), Bermuda grass and mulberry. At CWA, the filtration process takes place after 50 days and the wine is sold at Rs 250 to 300 per bottle.

Distinctive methods

Though the wine culture is not as widespread as Kodagu, the concept of homemade wine is catching up in Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts, mainly because of the demand created by the tourists. “It has also become a source of regular income for women entrepreneurs,” states winemaker Divya Uday of Kitthagalale estate in Sakaleshpura.

Every winemaker follows a distinct method and even the ingredients vary. For one kilogram of fruit, Divya Uday adds one handful of rice, wheat flour, cloves, cinnamon, a pinch of yeast and little black pepper. The wine is sold at homestays in and around Sakaleshpura. She adds that beauty parlours are now placing orders for grape wine, which is used in facial cleansing.

I then interacted with two innovative entrepreneurs, Geeta Sunil and Sumitha Raghudev, in Chikkamagaluru. They have created a niche for themselves in the field with a wide variety of wines such as cashew wine, rose wine, passion fruit wine, pomegranate wine, pineapple wine and betel leaf wine. They have been supplying these unique flavours to homestays located in the region.

Bhagya Lakshman, an experienced winemaker in Mudigere taluk, remembers that in her childhood, after a day of hard labour, to de-stress from the physical and mental strain endured, people used to consume a primitive form of wine before dinner. The ingredients were mainly fruits and berries picked from surrounding community forests and plantations. The fruits were blended with jaggery, sprouts, ginger, black pepper and rice.

Over the years, there has been a lot of changes in the preparation and consumption practices, reflecting the evolution of customs, traditions and culture. And the change is for the better, she feels. She says that many Ayurvedic practitioners recommend consumption of one spoon of betel leaf wine or ginger wine on a daily basis to maintain good health.

It is very fashionable these days to serve wine as a welcome drink in the social gatherings that women organise. It is always served in limited quantities. Wine must always be stored in glass bottles and must never be refrigerated. Wine, when preserved for more than seven years, gives the same intoxicating feeling as whiskey.

So, when you visit this part of the State next time, don’t forget to try these fruity flavours.

source: http://www.deccanheral.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Top Stories / by Poornima Kanahalli / July 07th, 2018

It’s Honey Calling

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Nature

CoorgHoney01KF02july2018

Madikeri:

Any talk of Kodagu often begins with the aromatic coffee, golden-glazed honey and some lip-smacking authentic delicacies. Honey has a special place in the district and Kodagu is known to produce distinct and rich honey that is famous for its originality, purity, taste and longevity even when stored in closed containers for years together.

However, the district hit a low in honey production in the 1990s as Thai Sac Brood disease hit the industry hard. Said to have originated in Thailand, the disease killed bees, including the queen bee and so far there has been no effective remedy for the disease. Also, the red ant menace further crippled the industry and most of the apiculturists were forced to switch to other means of livelihood. So badly affected was the industry that the honey production in Kodagu has dipped to a low of 50 percent in the late 1990s.

Now slowly the industry is regaining foothold and thanks to people who are growing conscious about their health and healthy habits, there is a global market for Coorg Honey. Honey is produced mainly in Bhagamandala, Galibeedu and Cherangala of Madikeri taluk, Birunani, T. Shettigeri and Kedamulloor in Virajpet taluk, Shanthalli, Jakkanalli, Soorlabbi, Hammiyala, Hachchinadu, Kumbaragadige and Mutlu in Somwarpet taluk.

CoorgHoney02KF02july2018

At present, Kodagu has over 7,000 bee-keepers and Bhagamandala region alone accounts for more than 50 percent of production of the district with the total being about 850 tonnes.

To bring back the glory of honey production in Kodagu, the State government has set up a Honey Park in Bhagamandala where the only Apiculture Technical Training Centre of State is located. The Park also houses a Honey Museum. The Park and the Museum are the first in the State.

Honey extractors, beehives, honey containers, honey pots on display at the Honey Museum.
Honey extractors, beehives, honey containers, honey pots on display at the Honey Museum.

Built at a cost of Rs. 1.42 crore, works on the Honey Park began in 2015 and is completed now. The Park is housed at Apiculture Technical Training Centre that was established at Bhagamandala way back in 1948 by the then Coorg State Government. Funds for the Honey Park was released by the State Horticulture Department and initially in 2015-2016, Rs. 50 lakh was released. Later, in 2016-2017, Rs. 82 lakh was released and Rs. 10 lakh was released in 2017-2018.

A honeycomb kept for demonstration at the Honey Park.
A honeycomb kept for demonstration at the Honey Park.

The Honey Park acts as a comprehensive centre for honey production and related activities. It would also endeavour to provide marketing facilities for the product in the entire State. The Park is being maintained by food processing division of Agriculture Department. The Park has been set up to promote apiculture, which will supplement the income of the farmers.

According to officials managing the Honey Park, they get regular visitors who want to know about honey production, the costs and apiculture procedure.

CoorgHoney05KF02july2018

Certificate course

“We will provide a three-month certificate course during November-December-January for students and professionals who want to take up apiculture as a part-time business,” they said. Hostel facilities will be provided to the trainees during their three-month stay at Bhagamandala and already many students from Mysuru, Belagaavi, Koppal and Dharwad have enrolled for the training programme.

This apart, the Honey Museum traces the history of honey in Kodagu, its origin, golden period, its gradual decline owing to diseases and the present state. Also, it gives the visitors information about global honey growth and how it has become popular among health freaks. Models have been prepared and ways and means of honey extraction with machines and bare hands without getting bitten or stung by bees are demonstrated here.

A short movie screening is another attraction in the Honey Park. It captures the honey development in Kodagu. The centre will train local tribals and farmers in apiculture. Tribals will be trained in collecting honey in forests. This in turn will help in improving their economic conditions.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles> News / June 30th, 2018

Cauvery Gallery may soon become a reality

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

CauveryKF30jun2018

The Cauvery River Gallery, which was proposed to be established in the city, five years back, may finally be a reality with Chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission and former chairman of ISRO K Kasturirangan announcing that he has spoken about the project with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, in Bengaluru, recently.

The formation of the Cauvery Tourism Development Authority was mooted in March 2015 and the idea of the Cauvery River Gallery was discussed in the first meeting of the authority, chaired by then Tourism minister R V Deshpande, in June 2015. Neither of them materialised so far, even though the previous chief minister was a native of Mysuru district, the nucleus of the Cauvery River basin.

According to the annual report (April 2016 – March 2017) of the National Academy of Sciences of India (NASI), River Cauvery is among the most sacred rivers in the southern region of India and is thought to be the Dakshina Ganga, on account of its diverse characteristics and attributes.

“Originating from the Brahmagiri Hill in the Western Ghats and flowing towards the Bay of Bengal, the river travels along Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the southeastern direction. River Cauvery is well inscribed in Tamil and Kannada literature because of its sacredness. Bathing in waters of Cauvery is a traditional belief. The striking Shivanasamudram falls of Cauvery River is the second biggest waterfalls in the country.

At the request of Minister for Higher Education and Tourism, Government of Karnataka, K Kasturirangan, Chairman of Karnataka Knowledge Commission, requested Manju Sharma, former president of NASI, to establish a Cauvery Gallery on the lines of Ganga Gallery and Brahmaputra Gallery.

Manju Sharma, with the consent of the NASI Council, sent a preliminary intent proposal to establish a high-quality gallery that captures the etymological, ecological, cultural, heritage and social characters of River Cauvery,” the report states.

The Cauvery Gallery can be established with the help of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata, and the financial support of the department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka. Interactive multimedia with diorama, animation, graphics and the 3-D display will be used to make the gallery interactive and interesting for visitors, the report states. At present, there is a gallery for River Brahmaputra in Guwahati, in Assam, and a gallery for River Ganga at Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh .

The gallery is expected to showcase the life, culture and biodiversity along the Cauvery River from its birth in Talacauvery of Kodagu district till it reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar (now Pombuhar) in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. It splits into two, twice, and forms the islands of Srirangapatna and Sivanasamudra in Karnataka.

Kasturirangan has said that he held talks with Chief Minister Kumaraswamy on setting up of the gallery on the Karnataka Exhibition Authority Grounds (Dasara Exhibition Grounds) in Mysuru and a detailed project report would be prepared soon.

In 2016 itself, Karnataka’s Tourism department and the NASI had signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the gallery at Mysuru. Then, the Tourism department officials and NASI experts had decided to establish the gallery on the premises of the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) complex. The project was scheduled to be completed in six to nine months and was expected to be a major tourist attraction in the city. The KEA complex is also yet to be constructed.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mysuru / by T.R. Sathish Kumar, DH News Service, Mysuru / June 28th, 2018

Opinion divided on private sanctuaries next to reserves

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Majority of those who attended stakeholders’ meeting sceptical of the concept

The stakeholders’ meeting on the State’s attempt to permit private sanctuaries adjoining national parks and tiger reserves, held in Bengaluru on Monday, elicited conflicting opinions. This only served to underline the division between the conservationists and officials on the initiative.

It also brings to the fore the imperatives of a thorough discussion on the subject given the sensitivity of the issue and the environmental and social ramifications.

Vandita Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Forests, Ecology and Environment, who chaired the meeting, said she has been flooded with views on why the private conservancy rules should or should not be introduced. Hence this calls for a comprehensive discussion on wide-ranging aspects before taking the initiative forward.

Some of the speakers cautioned that the concept of private conservancy was non-existent in the Indian laws or the Wildlife Protection Act. Hence the very legality of framing a policy on private conservancies in Karnataka has to be examined because the Wildlife Protection Act, being a Central Act, overrides the State laws if it is at variance or conflict with the former.

There were also views that one had to study the pros and cons that prevail in other countries where such a model is in place and wondered whether such a law should be proposed at all in the first place.

Sanjay Gubbi, wildlife biologist, said one should consider ecological and social aspects, the economic incentives local communities derive etc., and then go ahead with the experimentation.

“I am not sure how many promoters would be willing to invest as the area has to be first notified as a Private Forest under the existing legal provisions. Once it is declared as a Private Forest, then the laws governing the Forest Conservation Act, Supreme Court order of WP 202/1995, etc. will all become applicable,” he said.

Col. C.P. Muthanna ((retd) of Coorg Wildlife Society was sceptical of the concept reducing the conflict situation by merely augmenting the sanctuary boundary with private conservancy.

He feared it would only bring animals closer to human habitation and escalate human-animal conflict, besides increasing local communities’ hostility against the Forest Department and wildlife.

However, Sudheer, of Voice for Wildlife, opined that the proposal provided a legal framework for genuinely interested people keen to promote conservation and forests.

Allaying fears of commercial exploitation, he argued that the draft rules make it clear that only 5% of the private conservancy area can be utilised for tourism and no change of land use would be permitted for the remaining 95%. This itself was a disincentive to keep investors who are not conservation-minded, out of the picture, he added.

D. Rajkumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation, said there was no rationale to suggest that by merely declaring a portion of land outside forest boundary as “private sanctuary” it would mitigate conflict situations. The general drift of the argument against the concept was that it cannot be pushed merely to promote tourism and one had to look at the ecological and social aspects as well.

P. Sridhar, head of Forest Force; Jayaram, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF); former Forest Department officials; wildlife conservationists; NGOs; and representatives of the hospitality sector were among those present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / June 26th, 2018

Coffee sector seeks govt support for re-plantation

Agriculture, Coffee News, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

City: Chennai

With a large majority of coffee plantations having turned old and unproductive, coffee sector is seeking a Colombian-model re-plantation support from the government.

Abysmally low yield, lower price realisation and high levels of debt have been restraining the sector from taking up re-plantation on its own.

Re-plantation is long overdue for 65-70 per cent of India’s coffee farms. About 65 per cent of plants are more than 40 years old and for those varieties, the maximum yielding age of the plants is 35-40 years. Some of the better-yielding newer varieties have a shorter life of around 25 years and a good number of these newer varieties are also due for re-plantation, said AL RN Nagappan, coffee committee chairman of UPASI.

By retaining the older plants, both production and yield has been coming down. Coffee production, especially arabica production has been falling year-after-year in the past five years. From 120,000 tonnes, it has dropped below 90,000 tonnes.

The yield too is abysmally low. “We cannot even compare our yield with that of Brazil or Colombia. If an acre of coffee plantation provides 1.5 tonnes of coffee in Brazil, it would hardly produce 300 kg in India,’ said Nagappan. Inability to mechanise the plantations due to the hilly and rocky terrain also has been affecting the yield. According to Ramesh Rajah, president of the Coffee Exporters Association, coffee growers in the India are not in a position to take up the task of such large-scale re-plantation as most of the growers are incurring losses due to lesser price realisation and higher input cost.

“If the input cost on an acre is around Rs 70,000, the income would be around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000. The grower is incurring a loss of around Rs 30,000 on an acre of coffee plantation,” said Boje Gowda, chairman, Coffee Board of India.

The growers have been relying on the pepper vines to make up for the losses. “But the pepper prices too are down this year,’ added Nagappan.

According Gowda, almost 80 per cent of the growers have defaulted on their loans and the non-performing assets of the coffee plantation have become a burden for the banks.

In such a scenario, the sector is looking forward for support from the part of the central and state governments. “The government should take a leaf out of the re-plantation scheme being provided for growers in Columbia. The government has been providing financial support for the past few years and now the country has been able to enhance its production significantly,” said Rajah.

Since 2009, Colombia has been replanting around 85,000 hectares of coffee plantations every year. The government has been providing subsidy for the every replanted coffee.

“We have been requesting both central and state government to provide subsidies on the inputs like fertilizer electricity and machines,’ said Gowda.

As the grower has to forego the income during re-plantation, he also wants financial support during that critical period. “We are also expecting an interest waiver for the loans so that the growers can pay back at least the principal,” said Nagappan.

source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com / mydigitalfc.com / Home> Miscellany / by Sangeetha G

Demand for crabs, bamboo shoots rises in Madikeri

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature
Crabs kept for sale beside a road in Madikeri.
Crabs kept for sale beside a road in Madikeri.

It is the time of the year when people in Madikeri throng to purchase crabs and bamboo shoots.

Crabs, bamboo shoots and “Marakesu” have already entered markets in the district.

People consider crab as good for generating heat in the body which helps in braving the chill during monsoon.

The crab sellers collect 30kg to 40kg of crabs from H D Kote, Bheemanahalli and come to Madikeri to sell them. A bundle of crab (12 crabs) are priced at Rs 300. Crab fetches Rs 250 per kg.

In the past, crabs were available in plenty in paddy fields and water bodies. Now in spite of an increase in demand, there are a few people who sell it.

The availability of crabs has also declined, said crab seller Kumar.

Even the tourists who come here during weekends purchase bamboo shoots while returning home. The bamboo shoot is sold for Rs 40 to Rs 50 for half a kg.

The demand for “Marakesu” leaves also increases during the monsoon. The leaves are used for the preparation of “pathrode” and “bajji.”

The monsoon delicacies are served not only at home but at homestays and resorts as well.

There is a good demand for crab curry, crab fry, bamboo shoot pickle and bamboo shoot dry curry, said homestay owner Suyog.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> District / by DH News Service , Madikeri / June 24th, 2018

Karnataka: God’s own forests watch over Kodagu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All

Devara Kadu, or sacred groves, are a binding force between families and different communities of Kodagu district. Of late, encroachments are depleting this forest cover

Rituals being conducted during a Devara Kadu festival
Rituals being conducted during a Devara Kadu festival

Mangaluru :

Rumbustious, uncut, proud, magnificent trees; a plinth on which idols of folk deities sit alongside miniature terracotta sculptures of cattle, a harmless silence taken over by tweets of birds and insects – welcome to Devara Kadu temples situated amidst thick, unkempt forests of Kodagu. Ecological havens in every village of the district, Devara Kadu or the sacred groves are a binding force between families and different communities of the district.

The Malnad region is dotted with such sacred grooves. While Devara Kadu fall under the protected forests, they are treated as sacrosanct by the people resulting in the prohibition of felling, lopping or clearing of trees and even weeds. Light, water, air, earth, wind – the five elements — are glorified at these abodes of nature and paganism (nature worship) is revered and celebrated once a year at these groves.

‘Kadu Aiyappa’ is one of the ancient deities worshiped at Devara Kadu. “He (Kadu Aiyappa) chose solitude and a simplistic life in the wild, which is why he is till date worshiped amidst the virgin forests,” explains historian Bacharaniyanda Appanna.

Kottialu Eshwara Devara Kadu at Garakeri
Kottialu Eshwara Devara Kadu at Garakeri

Bhadrakali, Bhagavathi, Naga, Aiyappa, Eshwara, Ajappa are the common deities worshipped in Devara Kadu and each deity has a folk story connecting them closely to the villagers. The folk deities are revered as protectors and guardians of villages they are nestled at. “The place of Hathur, which is on Gonikoppal-Mysuru highway, has been a witness to many accidents. But these accidents have not killed a single person as Goddess Vana Bhadrakali of Hathur Devara Kadu, has protected them all,” says Kokkanda Belliappa, a villager of Hathur who like others here believes in the power of the Goddess.

Currently, there are nearly 1,214 Devara Kadu in Kodagu covering an area of 4,614 hectares and, 18 native communities are involved in worshiping 165 folk deities. “There have been a lot of encroachments. The deities are not as feared as before leading to these encroachments. However, the forest department is vigilant towards these offenders and we have taken several measures against such encroaches,” explains DFO Manjunath.

Nevertheless, in the past decade, Devara Kadu have been reduced to less than 9,000 acres from the original 15,000 acres, according to a survey on Devara Kadu.The ‘Devara Kadu Habba’ or the sacred grove festival, which takes place mostly between April and July (some annually and others biannually), is helping preserve the groves. “The ‘Eeroli Bana’ at Thaaka village of Cherambane is a Devara Kadu of Lord Aiyappa and is spread over 800 acres. It is believed that Kadu Aiyappa Swamy had stayed at this grove for two days. The grove is highly revered by the villagers and the fear of god is still existent, which has prevented encroachments. During the annual Devara Kadu festival, the villagers take a holy dip at the stream flowing in the grove. Entry to this grove is banned otherwise. A team of medical students had visited the grove in 1982 to conduct some research, but they could not proceed into the grove after a certain point,” says Appanna, a villager.

During the Devara Kadu festivals, the virgin groves echo with the praise of the deities. The spirit dance, sacrifices, ex-voto offerings (an offering given in order to fulfil a vow), grandeur god dance are just a few highlights. Prema, a resident of Hathur village, enters the Devara Kadu of Vana Bhadrakali with a trident. She explains, “I am offering the trident to the goddess as a thanks-giving for granting my wishes. People offer cattle to the goddess too.” The spirits of the folk deities are invited into the human body and these spirits listen to the problems of the villagers and provide solutions. The spirits also offer guidance to the village heads to help lead the village towards betterment, the villagers believe.

Even though Kodagu has one sacred grove for every 300 acres, the highest in the state, the groves are still depleting. The pressure of economic returns from plantations has resulted in their depletion. Yet, to some extent, the spiritual connections with these ecological havens are keeping them alive.

History
Granting of sacrosanct status to forests dates back to the Indus Valley civilisation. In Kodagu, kings considered a stretch of forest sacred and cared for the folk deity who in return protected his land. Devara Kadu of Kodagu falls under the tropical evergreen forest belt

Beliefs
Felling, lopping, clearing of fallen branches, plucking of weeds, pruning or burning of trees is prohibited in Devara Kadus. It is believed that offenders will be punished with death by the folk deity. Spirit dance, sacrifice, ex-voto offerings are common practices followed during Devara Kadu festivals.

Depletion
In all, 15,000 acres of Devara Kadu have today reduced to less than 9,000 acres due to continuous encroachments reported in the past decade. Immigration and economic returns are seen as major causes for encroachments.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / June 17th, 2018

Rampant land conversion in Kodagu leads to reduced flow of water in Cauvery

About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Kodagu district is the major watershed and catchment for the Cauvery and has witnessed rampant conversion of not just forest land but also wetlands and coffee plantations.

Water flowing from a dam across the Cauvery river. (File | EPS)
Water flowing from a dam across the Cauvery river. (File | EPS)

Bengaluru :

With 2,800 acres of land converted for commercial purposes in the last decade in Kodagu district, environmentalists decry the continuing change in land use and say it has decreased the annual flow of water in the Cauvery.

Kodagu district is the major watershed and catchment for the Cauvery and has witnessed rampant conversion of not just forest land but also wetlands and coffee plantations.

The statistics revealed by the district authorities are shocking as between 2005 and 2015, more than 2,800 acres of paddy field, coffee plantations and highlands were converted to residential layouts, sites, commercial complexes and resorts.

Col C P Muthanna, president, Coorg Wildlife Society said, “We have received this data from the district authorities as a reply to our RTI application. This is a matter of grave concern as the tiny district is the lifeline of not only south Karnataka but also Tamil Nadu. The river’s catchment areas have made way for buildings … the district has also been losing its tree cover to infrastructure projects, high tension power lines and railway lines.”

The Coorg Wildlife Society has met the district authorities in this regard and submitted a memorandum highlighting how large scale conversion of wetlands/highlands without even getting a NoC from the gram panchayats have taken off and legalised later by paying bribes. They have requested the authorities concerned to carry out a site inspection in the three taluks and a proper assessment on conversions. Col Muthanna adds, “The DC has tentatively agreed to our request. Further, we have requested for a study on carrying capacity of tourism in Kodagu that may finally result in policy measures for sustainable tourism.”

Environmental activist Sundar Muthanna, who has started an online petition ‘Stop the two railway tracks to Kodagu and Save Cauvery River’ and addressed it to PM and 14 others says, “Implementing the two railway lines will involve cutting of lakhs of trees in the catchment region. Kodagu has already lost 54,000 trees for a high tension power line to Kerala and now hundreds of fresh applications for conversions are pending with the department. Land conversion seems to be the government term for ‘ecological suicide’.”

Railways and highways are being planned to promote tourism and business. “When tree-holding agricultural land is converted for commercial purposes, the trees are cut for construction activities. In river catchment area, less trees is … simply put … less river. The Cauvery went completely dry in Kodagu in March this year … we don’t seem capable of understanding the many warnings that nature is giving us,” Muthanna says.

Environmentalists say a study done by researchers of Indian Institute of Science has already revealed the decreasing water flows to the Cauvery from the catchment areas of the district. Prof T V Ramachandra, head of Wetland and Energy Research Group, IISc headed this study — Modelling Hydrologic Regime of Lakshmanthirtha Watershed, River Cauvery. The study outlines how change in land use in Kodagu has decreased the flows into Cauvery. The assessment showed that out of five watersheds, four had high deficiency of water for over three months.

Kodagu DC was not available for her comments.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / June 13th, 2018

Codavas On A Mission To Nourish Cauvery Back To Health

About Kodagu / Coorg, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Nature, Records, All

Snapshot

Codavas are seeking living entity status for Cauvery – the lifeline of South Karnataka-Tamil Nadu.
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As politicians try to gain political mileage out of the controversy over the sharing of Cauvery river water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Codavas – the original inhabitants of Kodagu – have embarked on a novel journey. This could one day give Cauvery river, the lifeline of South Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the ‘living entity status’ like Ganga, Yamuna and Narmada. It will be also on the lines of the special status that Whanganhi River of New Zealand, which is very dear to the original inhabitants Maori tribe, enjoys.

Called “Codavas separatists”, these inhabitants have been demanding a separate state since 1957. In fact, Kodagu enjoyed ‘C’ Grade statehood before Independence. Consecutive state governments in Karnataka have not protected the antiquity of Codavas and did nothing to give them special status despite being a miniscule minority in terms of population, allege the Codava National Council (CNC) activists.

Several times they had objected to the way river Cauvery is being abused and overexploited for socio-political and economic reasons. “We have been pointing out to the government that Cauvery river is not in her full health and we need to take corrective measures, but none of the governments did anything. Which is why we have organised a vehicular jatha, a convoy of vehicles with Codavas and Codavathis (women Codavas) from Talacauvery (birthplace) of Cauvery river to the last point of the river in Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu. This is an awareness campaign to let people know how the Cauvery is shrinking and how to nourish her back to her pristine beauty and girth,” said CNC president N U Nachappa.

River Cauvery is one among seven sacred (sapta nadi) rivers of the Vedic period and they are Ganga, Yamuna, Sindhu, Saraswati, Narmada, Godavari and Cauvery. Thankfully, other rivers are now under rejuvenation process with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledging his full support to the rejuvenation and cleansing of Ganga. This has motivated the states like Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra to take up rejuvenation of their rivers seriously.

However, Karnataka has not done anything to protect Cauvery river despite the river losing girth and inflow steadily. At many places, it is being polluted. “This apathy has hurt us, and after many failed appeals we have decided to kickstart a people’s movement to save Cauvery. She takes birth in our district and nourishes several lakhs of hectares of land and quenches the thirst of the crores of people. It becomes our responsibility to let the people know her condition. She nourishes our crops and has two southern rice bowls for India, one in Mandya in Karnataka another in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. She is the lifeline of the south,” says Nachappa.

There are already instances where the governments in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and even New Zealand are giving rivers a new lease of life by according “living entity” status. River Saraswati disappeared centuries ago and such a thing should not happen to Cauvery, say Codavas, who took part in the expedition.

The CNC has urged the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the United Nations Organisation and the International Water Dispute Tribunal to accord special status to the Cauvery river. The five-day jatha to Poompuhar from Talacauvery also witnessed visits to temples of Tamil Nadu that are built along the course of the Cauvery river. “It was not just evoking the divine grace for the river’s welfare but we also talked and engaged with the local people on the importance at Salem, Rasipuram, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur and Myiladuthurai.”

As per the legends, great Sage Agastya had his seat of learning in Kodagu on the banks of Cauvery. Until 1956, Kodagu was politically a powerful C grade state of the Indian Union. Codavas consider the reorganisation of states under the State Re-organisation Act, 1956 a great geo-political catastrophe of the 20th century for them. Cauvery and Kodagu were synonymous with each other.

R Sridhar, a scholar on Cauvery in Bengaluru, analysed why Cauvery is losing girth. “In the name of development, we have reduced the value of our rivers, which is a general situation. In the Cauvery basin, we have killed many tributaries like Arkavathi and Kanva rivers. While Arkavathi was killed at its source in Bengaluru by drying the river and creating housing projects, Kanva river has been reduced to a rivulet, and most part of the year except in monsoons, it is dry. I remember the Tamil Nadu government making a case with the Supreme Court stating that the Cauvery river was contaminated with sewage and industrial effluents and chemicals. But I still think the Cauvery river gets an inflow of 740 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) water during a typical monsoon season. But the utilisation of river water has trebled in the last 20 years, which is why Cauvery has slendered down in girth. Check dams have been constructed in many districts along the Cauvery’s course in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to store water, another reason for it to become slender. But it is never too late for taking up a drive like the CNC has taken up, which is laudable.”

However, things are presently fluid as the governments have demanded constitution of a Cauvery river water management board of which shape of things to come is not certain, Sridhar said.

President of the Delta Farmers Forum at Tiruchirapalli, Pandit Ramdas, hailed the expedition. “This is the first effort that has kindled hopes of better future for the river Cauvery and also to the users of her waters. I am sure the governments will take notice of it. Codavas are not only martial heroes but also die-hard conservationists of their heritage land, their efforts to conserve the river Cauvery was a heroic event just like their innumerable wars with invaders which they won”.

*Route Map of the Mission on Cauvery was Talacauvery in Kodagu – Mysore, Hogenakkal, Dharmapuri, Mettur Dam, Salem, Rasipuram, Namakkal, Paramathiveleur, Mohnaur, Tottiyam, Musiri, Mukkombu, Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Ayyampettai, Papanasam, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Sempanarkoil, Mudikandanallur, Melayur and Poomphar (Cauvery Pattinam) the final destination.

*Cauvery jatha as they called it was fascinated by the site where world’s first dam built over sand by the legendary Tamil emperor Karikala Cholan during 1st century AD. This grand Anekat, dam is built across river Cauvery Vennar at Kallanai and still stands.

*With this expedition the Codavas have begun a new people to people friendship with Tamil Nadu, while the politicos on both states choose to take the political route to the Cauvery water sharing and in the bargain foment and fuel inter-state unrest.

*What is living entity?

The concept of river being given the same rights and duties as a human being is new to India, the first to do was Equador in South America its constitution provided this right to many rivers within in its geographical area, recently New Zealand gave such rights to Whanganui River. The river will have all the rights and duties that a citizen has. The rivers endowed with such status will not be treated as property of the state or a nation but will have right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles. The river will have its own identity and will get the same protection that the human beings get.

Raghuram hails from coastal Karnataka and writes on communal politics.

source: http://www.swarajyamag.com / Swarajya / Home> Ideas / by M Raghuram / June 03rd, 2018

‘No ban on women climbing Brahmagiri Hills’

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Kodagu district administration says personal opinion of astrologer is not official decision

The Kodagu district administration has scotched rumours that women will be barred from climbing Brahmagiri betta from Talacauvery temple, the spot where the Cauvery takes its birth.

Satish Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu, said the personal opinion of an astrologer from Kerala, who was invited for the ritual of ‘Ashtamangala Prashne’ held at Talacauvery, was construed as an official decision of the government-appointed temple committee. ‘Ashtamangala Prashne’ is part of an astrological tradition and entails answering queries raised to find solutions to problems.

“The temple committee is vested only with the responsibility of routine administration and cannot take unilateral decisions outside the purview of its prescribed duties. Besides, the Talacauvery temple is administered by the Muzrai Department of the State government and is not a party to the opinion stated by an astrologer,” said Mr. Satish Kumar.

“I sought a report from the temple’s executive officer, and he reported that it was the personal opinion of the mystic and has nothing to do with the temple committee,” Mr. Satish Kumar added.

There was a furore after the priest said that only men, girls below 10, and women above 50 years will be allowed to climb Brahmagiri Hills between Tula Sankramana day and Vrushabha Sankramana day.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – May 25th, 2018