Twilight Days for Environmental Movements: What Next for the Bedti-Aghanashini Movement?

Tracking the Bedti-Aghanashini movement unfolding in the valleys of the Western Ghats, the author examines the changing contours of environmental movements in India and argues that the space for genuine, independent struggles is being steadily delegitimised.

Those in power advise people to protest peacefully. Even those who stay away from agitations expect the protesters to do the same, without disrupting their daily lives. You might think I am referring to the ongoing ‘regime change’ agitation in Delhi, jointly engineered by Opposition parties and a section of civil society. Not really. This is a sad commentary on the peaceful, civilian protest unfolding in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district in the Western Ghats. The agitation has received little attention from the mainstream English media, let alone political parties.

What is the agitation about?

Genuine farmers, fishermen and other residents have joined hands to oppose two proposed river-diversion projects: the Bedti–Varada River Interlinking Project and the Aghanashini–Vedavathi River-Linking Project. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) are being prepared for both. The projects stem from a river-linking policy adopted more than two decades ago. The objective of both the projects is ambitious: to divert water from the west-flowing Bedti and Aghanashini rivers to meet the needs of drought-prone regions in eastern and central Karnataka.

The Bedti Diversion Project

The Bedti–Varada River Interlinking Project is a joint initiative of the state and central governments to divert monsoon surplus water from the west-flowing Bedti River in the Western Ghats to the east-flowing Varada River, a tributary of the Tungabhadra: Aim is to provide water to drought-prone regions of Karnataka.

The original plan envisages diverting between 242 and 524 million cubic metres (MCM) of water from the Bedti basin through streams such as Pattanada Halla and the Shalamala River to irrigate water-deficient agricultural fields in the Tungabhadra basin.

The Aghanashini River Diversion Project

The proposed Aghanashini–Vedavathi River-Linking Project aims to divert 35 TMC feet of water from the west-flowing Aghanashini to the drought-prone Vedavathi basin, covering regions in Chitradurga, Davangere and parts of Ballari district. The plan involves diverting monsoon runoff from the Aghanashini in........

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