Bengaluru:Pro-Kannada organisations have convened a meeting in Bengaluru on Friday to discuss a proposed Karnataka bandh and future course of protests against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. According to a statement issued by Kannada Okkoota president Vatal Nagaraj, the meeting will be held at 11.30 am on July 31 here. The organisations have opposed the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, arguing that Karnataka itself is facing a shortage of water and that releasing water would adversely affect the state's farmers. The statement said the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day for 15 days, amounting to nearly 6 TMC of water, and claimed that such a release would cause hardship to people in the state. The meeting is also expected to deliberate on the proposed visit of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to Karnataka and decide on protest programmes. Leaders of several pro-Kannada organisations, are expected to attend the meeting, the statement added. In a major setback to Karnataka, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Thursday rejected the state's plea and upheld the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's (CWRC) recommendation directing it to release 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days. This has prompted the state government to convene an all-party meeting as political parties, farmers and Kannada organisations closed ranks against the order. The decision came despite Karnataka's contention that it is facing acute drought and a drinking water crisis.