Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said the construction of the proposed Mekedatu project, a balancing reservoir, in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka is the only solution to the Cauvery water-sharing row with the neighbouring States.
Mr. Shivakumar told presspersons here that the necessity of the construction of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir was informed to the Supreme Court which is hearing the water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. There would not be a dispute on water sharing with Tamil Nadu if the Mekedatu project was constructed. More than 400 tmcft of water reached the sea as waste last year, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said water dispute could be avoided through the construction of the dam and storage of water during excess rainfall years. The government has proposed to construct the dam to cater to the drinking water needs of Bengaluru city. The Congress has maintained that Karnataka has every right to utilise 4.75 tmcft water allocated by the Supreme Court order on February 16, 2018, for catering to the drinking water of Bengaluru.
The Tamil Nadu government has claimed that the project is “illegal” and that it will not stand before the law.
In January 2022, Karnataka Congress leaders embarked on a padayatra to seek all clearances from the Centre to implement the project.
