Mekedatu dam | Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court

State seeks judicial orders to restrain Karnataka from going ahead with project

August 27, 2021 07:54 pm | Updated 08:09 pm IST - NEW DELHI

The proposed construction of the reservoir by Karnataka would have a “cascading effect” on the daily and monthly inflows for Tamil Nadu during the crucial months of June to September.

The proposed construction of the reservoir by Karnataka would have a “cascading effect” on the daily and monthly inflows for Tamil Nadu during the crucial months of June to September.

The Tamil Nadu government has urgently moved the Supreme Court seeking judicial orders to restrain Karnataka from proceedings with “any activity” in regard to the proposed construction of a reservoir at Mekedatu across the inter-State Cauvery river.

The application, drawn by advocate G. Umapathy, vetted by Tamil Nadu Advocate General R. Shanmugasundaram and filed by advocate D. Kumanan, stated that the planning of the Mekedatu project by Karnataka with a capacity of 67.16 TMC ft. and generation of 400 MW project worth ₹9,000 crore was in “gross violation" of the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal of February 5, 2007, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court itself on February 16, 2018.

“The entire objective of the Tribunal’s final decision is to ensure that the pattern of the release of water to the downstream State to meet irrigation interests is not jeopardised,” Tamil Nadu said.

It submitted that Karnataka unilaterally, despite the Tribunal and apex court decisions, sent a feasibility report of the Mekedatu project to the Central Water Commission (CWC), which proceeded to entertain the proposal.

“The proposed reservoir would result in the impounding of the flows generated in the Cauvery river from the uncontrolled catchment of the Kabini sub-basin downstream of the Kabini reservoir, the catchment of Cauvery river downstream of KRS dam, uncontrolled flows from Shimsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathy sub-basins and various other small streams, which are the sources to ensure 177.25TMC at Billigundlu,” the State application stated.

‘Cascading effect’

The proposed construction of the reservoir by Karnataka would have a “cascading effect” on the daily and monthly inflows during the crucial months of June to September and “prejudice the livelihood of lakhs of inhabitants of Tamil Nadu depending on the flows from the upstream in Karnataka”, it said.

“Further any new scheme contemplated should be taken up only with the consent of the other basin States as they are vitally affected by the unilateral action of the upper riparian State,” Tamil Nadu pressed.

The State urged the Supreme Court to direct the CWC to reject and return the detailed project report for the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project filed by Karnataka on January 18, 2019.

It also requested the court to restrain the Environment Ministry and its agencies from entertaining any application for clearance relating to the Mekedatu project.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.