Chennai, May 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the central government to reject Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project on the Cauvery River.
He expressed concerns that this project would violate Supreme Court orders and threaten the interests of millions of farmers who depend on the Cauvery’s water.
In his letter, CM Vijay highlighted his deep apprehension regarding Karnataka’s recent decision to conduct a ground-breaking ceremony for the Mekedatu project. He noted that public statements from Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister have caused unrest among Tamil Nadu’s farmers, whose livelihoods are directly tied to the Cauvery River.
The Chief Minister reminded that resolving the Cauvery water dispute required nearly three decades of legal battles, and the Supreme Court’s ruling from February 16, 2018, is currently being implemented.
He emphasized that the Mekedatu project was not included in the projects approved under the final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, a fact later confirmed by the Supreme Court.
Vijay pointed out that the Cauvery basin is already classified as a water-scarce area, and the distribution of available water resources has been established based on a 50 percent dependency among the basin states. Therefore, he argued that there is no scope for constructing a new major reservoir or initiating any new projects on the river or its tributaries.
The Chief Minister also noted that Karnataka’s proposal to build a reservoir with a capacity of 67.16 TMC near Tamil Nadu’s border could disrupt the flow of water from uncontrolled catchment areas, which are crucial for Tamil Nadu’s water allocation.
Citing the Supreme Court’s decision, he stated that upper riparian states do not have the right to undertake any activities that could affect the predetermined water distribution to lower riparian states. He argued that Karnataka’s proposed reservoir would directly violate this principle.
Vijay referenced the expert evaluation committee of the Ministry of Environment, which had returned Karnataka’s environmental study proposal in 2019, citing unresolved issues between the states.
He asserted that advancing this project would not only contravene the Supreme Court’s directives but also violate environmental regulations.
Demanding immediate intervention, the Chief Minister requested PM Modi to instruct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject the detailed project report for the Mekedatu project and ensure that Karnataka does not proceed without the consent of other concerned states.
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