Kaveri: Where it all started
Historically, the dispute over sharing Kaveri waters dates back to the British era. The dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing Kaveri neared a solution when the 2 warring sides, Mysore princely state and Madras Presidency reached an agreement in 1924. Mysore was permitted to build a dam at Kannambadi village to trap 44.8 thousand million cubic feet of water. The agreement was to be valid for 50 years and a review thereafter was part of the agreement. Not willing to accept the agreement, the 2 states took the dispute to the Supreme Court after Independence on several occasions but the matter could not be resolved. Mysore, named Karnataka after Independence, asked Tamil Nadu seeking permission to make changes to various clauses after 12 years of Independence. However, Tamil Nadu refused to do so, saying they can be addressed only when the agreement runs out in 1974. In the 1970s, Kaveri Fact Finding Committee found that Tamil Nadu's irrigation lands had grown fro...