Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project, escalating the long-standing Cauvery river dispute between the two southern states.
The move comes amid reports that the Karnataka government is planning to conduct the Bhoomi Puja for the ambitious project near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. In his letter, Vijay accused Karnataka of attempting to alter the river water flow guaranteed to Tamil Nadu under the Cauvery water-sharing framework and urged the Centre to immediately intervene and halt any further progress on the project.
The Chief Minister stated that Tamil Nadu firmly believes Karnataka is attempting to “prevent the flows generated in the uncontrolled catchment” that are meant to reach the state under the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award, as modified by the Supreme Court in 2018.
He also referred to the Supreme court’s February 16, 2018 verdict, which held that an upper riparian state cannot take actions that negatively impact water delivery to a lower riparian state.
According to Vijay, Karnataka’s move to construct a new reservoir would amount to a “clear violation” of the Supreme Court verdict.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister also urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission (CWC) to reject Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu project. He additionally requested the Centre to advise Karnataka against taking up any new project in the Cauvery basin without obtaining concurrence from co-basin states, particularly Tamil Nadu.
What Is The Mekedatu Project?
The Mekedatu project is a proposed balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border with a planned storage capacity of 67.16 TMC.
Karnataka has maintained that the project is primarily aimed at supplying drinking water to Bengaluru and generating hydroelectric power. The state has repeatedly asserted that Tamil Nadu’s allocated share of Cauvery water will not be affected.
Tamil Nadu, however, fears that creating a large upstream reservoir could reduce water flow during distress years and severely affect farmers in the Cauvery delta region who depend heavily on the river for irrigation.
The Mekedatu project has remained one of the most sensitive and controversial issues in the Cauvery dispute for several years, often triggering political tensions between the two neighbouring states.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is set to visit New Delhi on Wednesday for the first time since assuming office and is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the trip, sources said.
According to ANI citing sources, Vijay will leave from Chennai on Wednesday morning, while senior state officials, including the Home Secretary, are overseeing arrangements for the Chief Minister’s visit to the national capital.