Chennai, May 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately and halt Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Reservoir Project across the Cauvery River, alleging that the initiative violates both the Supreme Court’s verdict and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award.
In a detailed letter to the Prime Minister, Vijay expressed serious concern over Karnataka’s announcement of a “Bhoomi Puja” for the project, saying it had triggered anxiety among farmers in Tamil Nadu who rely heavily on Cauvery water for agriculture and livelihood.
The Tamil Nadu government maintained that the Mekedatu project was never approved under the CWDT Final Award, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court in its February 16, 2018 judgment. The Chief Minister noted that the Cauvery basin has already been classified as a water-deficient basin, with the available water fully allocated among the riparian states.
“You may be well aware that a solution to the sensitive Cauvery water dispute was obtained after a long legal battle lasting nearly three decades, and the judgment dated February 16, 2018, is currently under implementation. The Mekedatu Project does not figure in the list of projects permitted by the Tribunal, which has been affirmed by the Supreme Court judgment. There is no scope for additional utilisation or creation of a new massive storage reservoir, since the Cauvery basin is already recognised as a deficit basin and the available water at 50 per cent dependability has been allocated among the party states,” Vijay stated in the letter.
He further argued that any new project across the Cauvery River or its tributaries, apart from those specifically permitted under the Tribunal’s final award and upheld by the apex court, would amount to interference with the Supreme Court judgment.
According to the Chief Minister, Karnataka’s proposal to construct a reservoir with a storage capacity of 67.16 TMC near the Tamil Nadu border could obstruct the natural flow of water allocated to Tamil Nadu under the CWDT award and the Supreme Court ruling.
Vijay also pointed out that the Supreme Court had clearly stated that upper riparian states should not undertake measures affecting the scheduled release of water to lower riparian states. In this regard, Tamil Nadu alleged that Karnataka’s move to proceed with the reservoir project constitutes a direct violation of the court’s ruling.
The Chief Minister further noted that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had earlier refused to grant Terms of Reference (ToR) for an Environmental Impact Assessment due to unresolved inter-state disputes linked to the project.
Questioning the role of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Tamil Nadu government asked why Karnataka’s proposal continued to be considered despite strong objections from Tamil Nadu.
“Under these circumstances, I request you to direct the officials of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Mekedatu project, as it is contrary to the CWDT Final Award dated February 5, 2007, and the judgment of the Supreme Court of India. The Government of Karnataka should also be advised not to undertake any new project without obtaining the concurrence of co-basin states and not to violate the Supreme Court judgment in its entirety,” Vijay added.
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry have long been engaged in a dispute over sharing of Cauvery River water, with the proposed Mekedatu dam emerging as the latest flashpoint between the neighbouring states.
