Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate intervention against Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam project, reigniting the long-standing dispute over Cauvery River water sharing between the two southern states.
The letter comes days after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar announced that the Detailed Project Report for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir would soon be submitted to the Centre and that groundwork for the project would begin after securing approval.
Located near Kanakapura in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district, the proposed Mekedatu project has remained one of the most contentious issues between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for years.
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CM Vijay cites Supreme Court ruling
According to NDTV, in his letter, Vijay argued that the project violates the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court of India in 2018.
According to the judgment, upstream states on the Cauvery basin cannot construct new dams or reservoirs without the consent of downstream stakeholders, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
Vijay contended that the Mekedatu reservoir does not figure among projects permitted under the tribunal’s allocation framework and said the Cauvery basin had already been categorised as water-deficient.
“There is no scope for additional utilisation or for creating a huge storage reservoir,” the Tamil Nadu chief minister said, adding that Karnataka’s proposal amounted to a direct violation of the Supreme Court ruling.
He urged the Prime Minister to advise Karnataka against initiating any new project without obtaining consent from downstream states.
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Karnataka pushes ahead with project
According to NDTV, Karnataka, however, has maintained that the Mekedatu project is intended as a balancing reservoir and not a fresh irrigation scheme. Shivakumar recently said the Centre’s approval process was underway and asserted that the Supreme Court had ruled Tamil Nadu could not indefinitely block the project.
He also pointed to the existing Cauvery water-sharing arrangement under which Karnataka is required to release 177 TMC of water annually to Tamil Nadu.
The remarks triggered sharp political reactions in Tamil Nadu, where parties across the spectrum accused Karnataka of attempting to undermine the state’s water rights.
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Political tensions rise in Tamil Nadu
According to NDTV, the controversy has also intensified political sparring within Tamil Nadu. The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam criticised Shivakumar’s remarks as “arrogant” and urged Vijay to strongly oppose any move toward the construction of the dam.
Vijay has already directed state officials to explore legal options regarding the project, signaling that Tamil Nadu is preparing for another prolonged legal and political battle over Cauvery water sharing.
