Bengaluru, 18 June

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project would benefit Tamil Nadu farmers more than those in Karnataka. He said that Karnataka was committed to releasing 177 TMC of Cauvery water to its neighbour as mandated by the Supreme Court.

His comments came after Tamil Nadu Governor RV Arlekar’s address to the State Assembly, where the latter called for a halt to the proposed dam. Arlekar had noted that the Cauvery river is the main source of water for farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta region.

“Tamil Nadu has the right to use Cauvery water from time immemorial,” he said, accusing Karnataka of only releasing surplus water instead of the “due share”, despite a Supreme Court ruling.

“If this (Mekedatu) project is implemented, farmers’ livelihood will be severely affected. (Tamil Nadu) is taking necessary legal measures to halt this and to get water for Tamil Nadu at the right time," the Governor said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention on Karnataka’s proposed Detailed Project Report (DPR).

“Mekedatu (project) is not close to my heart. It is the heart of the entire South India. Mekedatu is a project that will help Tamil Nadu more than Karnataka,” Shivakumar responded. "We are committed to releasing 177 TMC of water, as ordered by the Supreme Court. We have to protect Tamil Nadu's farmers… Last year, more than 400 TMC of water flowed into the sea. Who is responsible for that?"

Shivakumar claimed that Tamil Nadu politics has revolved around Cauvery for the past 40 to 50 years. “I do not want to interfere in their politics," he quipped. He also said that he was open to talk to Tamil Nadu leaders “any time” as “we are all Indians” and both states “depend on the save river, the same water”. 

The project aims to provide drinking water to Bengaluru. It involves constructing a dam on the Cauvery River near its confluence with the Arkavathi River in the Ramanagara district at Kanakapura, Shivakumar’s home district. It includes a power station designed to generate 400 MW of renewable hydroelectricity.