Protests have been held in north Karnataka wanting the implementation of the drinking water project.
An all-Karnataka shutdown has been called today in favour of the Kalasa Banduri drinking water project for north Karnataka. Schools were closed in different districts across the state, and public transport was off the road in Bengaluru and other cities.
A protest match was led by former legislator and pro-Kannada activist, Vatal Nagaraj, from Town Hall in Bengaluru to Freedom Park.
The Kalasa Banduri drinking water project aims to provide water for the north Karnataka districts of Dharwad, Gadag and Belagavi. This requires dams to be built across two tributaries of the Mahadayi River, Kalasa and Banduri.
Goa has been objecting to this, concerned about the flow of the Mahadayi River towards that state, as it would involve the diversion of almost 8 TMC of water.
The project has therefore been put on hold for years, and is now before the Water Disputes Tribunal.
Protests have been held in north Karnataka wanting the implementation of the project and the shutdown had more of an impact in this part of the state.
Last month, chief minister Siddaramaiah led an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister on the issue.