Chennai, May 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reject Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project across the Cauvery river, warning that the project could adversely impact lakhs of farmers in Tamil Nadu and disturb the existing water-sharing arrangement among Cauvery basin states.
In a detailed letter to the Prime Minister, Vijay expressed concern over reports that Karnataka was preparing to move forward with a “Bhoomi Puja” for the long-pending Mekedatu project. He said recent public statements made by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister regarding the project had created anxiety among farmers in Tamil Nadu, where several agricultural regions depend heavily on Cauvery water for irrigation and livelihood.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the Cauvery water dispute had undergone nearly three decades of legal and judicial proceedings before reaching a resolution through the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). He noted that the Supreme Court, through its February 16, 2018 judgment, had upheld and modified the tribunal’s award, establishing the current legal framework for water sharing among the basin states.
Vijay stressed that the Mekedatu project was not included among the projects approved under the Tribunal’s final award and argued that moving ahead with a new large-scale reservoir would violate the spirit of the existing arrangements.
He also observed that the Cauvery basin had already been categorised as a water-deficit basin, with available water resources fully allocated among the participating states. Therefore, he argued, there was limited scope for undertaking additional major projects across the river and its tributaries.
Raising concern over Karnataka’s proposal to build a 67.16 TMC storage reservoir near the Tamil Nadu border, Vijay said such a project could alter natural water flows and affect water releases to downstream states.
Seeking urgent intervention, he requested the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report and prevent any further action without the consent of co-basin states.
