Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the Mekedatu project requires Tamil Nadu’s cooperation rather than its approval, as the Cauvery dispute continues alongside a request for Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water a day for 15 days. The project, he said, is intended to meet Bengaluru’s drinking-water needs and generate 400 MW of electricity.
Shivakumar made the remarks to reporters after offering prayers at the Hasanamba Temple in Hassan, while responding to a letter from Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay to the Union government opposing the project. The Karnataka chief minister said Tamil Nadu leaders were unaware that the project would benefit their state as well as Karnataka, according to the Times of India report.
The proposed dam site is near the Hanur border and falls in Shivakumar’s constituency. He said the project would submerge 5,400 hectares of forest land and that arrangements had already been made to provide alternative land. The statement places the project’s environmental footprint alongside its stated objectives of supplying drinking water to Bengaluru and producing power.
Shivakumar said the Supreme Court had upheld Karnataka’s rights over the project and that Tamil Nadu’s review petition had been rejected. He added that approval from the Union environment and forest authorities remained pending. The chief minister said he had held several discussions with the Union Jal Shakti ministry and would soon meet the Prime Minister.
The project is being discussed against the backdrop of the continuing Cauvery water-sharing dispute. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee and the Cauvery Water Management Authority have asked Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs per day for the next 15 days. Shivakumar said Karnataka remained committed to releasing 177 TMC of Cauvery water annually as directed.
The competing positions underline the administrative and environmental approvals still connected to the project. Karnataka is presenting Mekedatu primarily as a Bengaluru drinking-water project, while Tamil Nadu has opposed it through a communication to the Union government. The next formal step identified by the Karnataka chief minister is engagement with the Union government, including a proposed meeting with the Prime Minister, while the environment and forest clearances remain pending.
