Karnataka CM vows to implement Mekedatu project despite TN's opposition; 'no one can stop'

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa on Tuesday reiterated the state government's commitment to complete the Mekedatu project across river Cauvery within legal framework even as his counterpart in Tamil Nadu has opposed the project. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, CM Yediyurappa claimed that things were in the favour of Karnataka and ruled out any possibility of halting the Mekedatu project.

Reaffirming the state government's commitment to finish the project, the Karnataka CM said that no one would be able to stop them from doing so. Further, CM Yediyurappa noted that he had written to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin urging him to implement the Mekedatu project to benefit both the states but claimed that he did not get a proper response.

Karnataka CM writes to MK Stalin

On Saturday, Yediyurappa had written to Tamil Nadu CM Stalin guaranteeing that the Mekedatu project, which aims to provide drinking water to Karnataka will not adversely affect the farming communities of Tamil Nadu, he had asserted that it will in fact be beneficial for both the states. 

Explaining the aim and objective of the project, he had written in the letter, "The Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project is contemplated with an objective to regulate the flow of water to Tamil Nadu, so as to generate 400 MW of power and to additionally utilize 4.75 tmc of water for meeting drinking and domestic water needs."

Having said that, he had outlined that not taking into consideration, the Tamil Nadu government has already filed a Miscellaneous Application before the Hon'ble Supreme Court, against the said project. He had also mentioned that in the meanwhile, the Government of Karnataka has also filed a necessary application before the Government of India, seeking approval for Terms of Reference (ToR) to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies. 

Karnataka CM gets negative response from Tamil Nadu's Stalin

In response to Yediyurappa's letter, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on Sunday requested his Karnataka counterpart to not pursue it as it would 'would impound and divert the first component of uncontrolled flows of the Cauvery river into Tamil Nadu'. 

"The proposed Mekedatu project would impound and divert the first component of uncontrolled flows due to Tamil Nadu, which is the flows coming into the river Cauvery from the uncontrolled catchment of Kabini sub-basin downstream of Kabini reservoir, the catchment of the mainstream of Cauvery river below Krishnarajasahara, uncontrolled flows from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvernavathy sub-basins and various other small streams," Stalin wrote in a letter to Yediyurappa.

The Mekadatu Project

The Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Drinking Water Project involves the construction of a balancing reservoir across Cauvery near Mekedatu in Karnataka. While the project cost is estimated at Rs 9,000 crore, the proposal is aimed at providing drinking water facilities to the Bengaluru Metropolitan region and its surrounding areas (4.75 TMC) and generate 400 MW of power as an additional benefit. Tamil Nadu had all along strongly opposed the project and approached the Supreme Court as well saying any dam proposal by upper riparian states in the Cauvery basin would deprive the state's delta farmers of their rightful share of water.