Karnataka CM says Mekedatu project will benefit Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urged Tamil Nadu leadership to review Supreme Court orders regarding the proposed reservoir.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure no statutory or administrative clearances are granted for Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam project without the consent of co-basin states, according to reports by ANI, Kalinga TV and The News Mill.
In a letter dated November 6, Vijay expressed concern that the proposed 67.16 TMC reservoir could affect water flow and monthly deliveries to Tamil Nadu as stipulated by the Supreme Court. He stated that the project could jeopardise the livelihoods of farmers in the Cauvery Basin.
Responding to the objections, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar asserted that the project would ultimately benefit the lower riparian state. Shivakumar, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, said the reservoir would be used for drinking water for Bengaluru and for power.
Shivakumar stated that Karnataka is acting within its rights and that the Supreme Court has already given permission to build the dam on its own site. He noted that the state is mandated to release 177 TMC of Cauvery water annually to Tamil Nadu.
The Karnataka Chief Minister also said the state has initiated compensatory afforestation across at least 5,400 hectares of forest land. He appealed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to send a team to visit the site to understand the project.
Tamil Nadu has previously filed an application before the National Green Tribunal on May 27 and passed a resolution in the Legislative Assembly on June 19 regarding the matter. A writ petition filed in the Supreme Court on August 3 is currently pending.