The Central Water Commission (CWC) has sent back a pre-feasibility report on the Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project to the Karnataka government.
This was conveyed by Manoj Kumar Sharvar, Under Secretary at the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, in a letter of October 5 to K.S. Radhakrishnan, advocate and spokesperson of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The pre-feasibility report was returned with “specific comments/shortcomings for compliance and resubmission to the CWC,” the letter said. To be implemented on the Cauvery river, the balancing reservoir project has evoked a strong opposition from Tamil Nadu, which contended that the project, if carried out, would endanger its interests. The State has also approached the Supreme Court on this issue. The Union Ministry’s response follows Mr. Radhakrishnan’s letter in July to Cabinet Secretary, raising a host of issues on the Cauvery dispute which included reported reservoir projects of the Karnataka government on the river.
The Ministry also clarified that the CWC, the body to carry out techno-economic apprisal of medium and major irrigation and multi-purpose projects on inter-state rivers, had not received any other proposal from Karnataka.
In a reply sent to the DMK spokesperson under the RTI Act, the National Water Development Agency said it had decided not to take up a detailed project report on the proposed link of Pamba-Achankovil-Vaipaar rivers, a long-standing demand of the Tamil Nadu government. The reason cited by the NWDA, an organisation coming under the control of the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, was the opposition of the Kerala government.
The Central agency stated that a feasibility report on the proposed link was completed and submitted to the States concerned — Kerala and Tamil Nadu. But, the Kerala government did not agree for the project, citing that “the Pamba and Achankovil rivers do not have surplus water for diversion.” This was why “no further study was taken up,” the Agency said.
