Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has renewed the state’s push for the Mekedatu project and appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to cooperate, saying the proposed reservoir would support balanced management of Cauvery water while Karnataka remained bound by the Supreme Court’s conditions.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the Hasanamba temple in Hassan, Shivakumar said Karnataka did not need permission from another state to build a dam within its own jurisdiction, while asserting that the Supreme Court had already granted permission in connection with the project. His comments were reported by Prajavani on November 8.
Shivakumar said Karnataka would have to release 177 thousand million cubic feet of water to Tamil Nadu in accordance with the conditions imposed by the Supreme Court. He argued that the Mekedatu reservoir would also benefit Tamil Nadu and would help create a more balanced system for managing Cauvery water.
The proposed project involves the use of forest land. According to Shivakumar, Karnataka has identified around 5,000 hectares of forest land in other parts of the state as an alternative area. The process of handing over this land to the Forest Department is under way, he said.
Once that process is completed, the state will submit the required proposal, after which the Central Water Commission will take a decision on the matter, Shivakumar said. The statement places the next formal stage of the project around the preparation and submission of the forest-related proposal and its subsequent examination by the central water authority.
The Mekedatu project has remained tied to the wider inter-state dispute over the Cauvery river, with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu taking opposing positions on the proposed reservoir. In his latest appeal, Shivakumar said Tamil Nadu should send a team of officials to examine the issue. He also assured the neighbouring state that Karnataka would not misuse water and would honour its commitments.
He called for an end to confrontation over the Cauvery and said the two states should respect the Supreme Court’s judgment and work together within the legal framework. The appeal, he said, should focus not only on sharing water but also on maintaining mutual goodwill and cooperation.
Shivakumar also said the Karnataka position had received support across party lines, claiming that Bharatiya Janata Party and National Democratic Alliance leaders had agreed to stand with the state on the issue. The report did not include a response from the Tamil Nadu government to his request for cooperation or to the proposal for an official team visit.
The proposed reservoir’s progress now depends on Karnataka completing the forest-land transfer process and submitting the necessary proposal. The Central Water Commission is expected to take up the matter after the submission, while the political dispute between the two states remains unresolved.
