Vijay writes to PM Modi seeking rejection of Karnataka’s Mekedatu dam project

Chennai, May 26 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, on Monday, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union government to reject Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project across the Cauvery river, stating that the move would violate Supreme Court orders and threaten the interests of lakhs of farmers dependent on Cauvery water.

In his letter, Vijay expressed strong concern over Karnataka’s reported decision to conduct a “Bhoomi Puja” for the Mekedatu project. He said public statements made by Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister regarding the project had created anxiety among farmers in Tamil Nadu, whose livelihoods are closely linked to the Cauvery River water.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the Cauvery water dispute had witnessed nearly three decades of legal battles before reaching a resolution, and that the Supreme Court’s judgment dated February 16, 2018, is currently being implemented.

He noted that the Mekedatu project was not among the projects approved under the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), a position that was subsequently upheld by the apex court.

Vijay stressed that the Cauvery basin is already categorised as a water-deficient basin and that available water resources have already been allocated among the basin states based on 50 per cent dependability. Therefore, he argued, there is no scope for creating additional major reservoirs or undertaking fresh projects across the river or its tributaries.

The Chief Minister also stated that Karnataka’s proposal for a 67.16 TMC storage reservoir near the Tamil Nadu border could potentially disrupt water flows from uncontrolled catchment areas, which form a crucial component of water allocation to Tamil Nadu.

Citing the Supreme Court’s ruling, Vijay said upper riparian states cannot undertake activities that affect scheduled water deliveries to downstream states. He argued that Karnataka’s proposed reservoir would amount to a direct violation of that principle. He also referred to the Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee, which in 2019 had returned Karnataka’s proposal for environmental studies, citing unresolved inter-state issues.

Vijay claimed that moving ahead with the project would violate not only Supreme Court directives but also environmental regulations.

Seeking immediate intervention, the Chief Minister requested Prime Minister Modi to direct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject the Mekedatu project’s Detailed Project Report and ensure that Karnataka does not proceed without obtaining consent from co-basin states.