The Karnataka government is expected to exert pressure on the Centre for the green light to commence the construction of the Mekedatu Project on the Cauvery river. Mekedatu, translating into English as ‘goat’s leap’, is a formidable gorge located where the rivers Cauvery and Arkavathi converge. The proposed reservoir site, Ontigondlu, is nestled in the Ramanagara district in Karnataka, a brisk 100 km drive from Bengaluru and within the heart of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. The project will cost approximately Rs. 9,000 crore and plans to store and distribute water for drinking to Bengaluru city while generating around 400 megawatts (MW) of power.
Mekedatu Project Overview
First approved by the Karnataka state government in 2017, the project has been given the nod by the former Ministry of Water Resources for its detailed project report but is still awaiting approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). This approval is pivotal due to the fact that nearly two-thirds (63%) of the forest area of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is set to be submerged. In terms of specifics, 5,051 hectares of forests are predicted to be submerged, which includes 3,181 hectares of the sanctuary and 1,870 hectares of the reserve forest. With this project, 4.75 thousand million cubic feet of water could be drawn from the reservoir to partially satiate the drinking needs of Bengaluru.
Discontent and Opposition from Tamil Nadu
In spite of assurances from Karnataka that the flow of water to Tamil Nadu will not be affected, Tamil Nadu remains steadfast in its opposition to the project. In June 2020, Tamil Nadu voiced its disapproval of the project at the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s meeting.
Tamil Nadu’s opposition stems from its disapproval of any project proposed in the upper riparian, unless it has been approved by the Supreme Court. It maintains that Karnataka has no authority to construct any reservoir on an inter-state river without consent from the lower riparian state.
Legal Disputes Surrounding Mekedatu Project
Tamil Nadu asserts that the implementation of this project breaches the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). According to the CWDT, no state can claim exclusive ownership or assert rights that could potentially deprive other states of the waters of inter-state rivers. Both the CWDT and the Supreme Court have agreed that the existing storage facilities available in the Cauvery basin are sufficient for storing and distributing water. Therefore, in their view, Karnataka’s proposal is ex-facie (on the face of it) untenable and should be rejected outright.
Finally, Tamil Nadu insists that the primary purpose of the reservoir is not just to provide drinking water, but also to expand the extent of irrigation. This would violate the terms of the Cauvery Water Disputes Award.