Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the Union government not to grant legal or administrative approval for Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam, citing concerns over the state’s continuing access to Cauvery water and the livelihood of farming communities.
According to a report by Dinamalar, the chief minister’s letter refers to recent developments linked to the Mekedatu reservoir project and says they have increased anxiety among farmers in Tamil Nadu. The letter argues that the proposed project could affect water flows reaching the lower-riparian state.
The proposed reservoir is planned by Karnataka near the inter-state boundary between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The report puts the proposed storage capacity at 67.16 thousand million cubic feet, or TMC. The chief minister’s letter states that the project could obstruct Tamil Nadu’s entitled water flow and disrupt the livelihoods of farmers dependent on the Cauvery basin.
Vijay has therefore asked the prime minister not to allow any legal or administrative approval for the Mekedatu dam without the consent of the downstream states. The request places the focus on the Union government’s role in considering permissions for an interstate water project and on the concerns of a state located downstream of the proposed reservoir.
The letter, as reported by Dinamalar, frames the issue as one involving the continued availability of water in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery river basin. It links the proposed dam to the wider question of how water infrastructure in one state may affect agricultural communities and water access in another state.
The report does not provide details of any fresh approval granted to Karnataka, nor does it specify a new decision by the Union government on the project. It records the Tamil Nadu chief minister’s appeal that no statutory or administrative clearance should be issued without the agreement of the downstream states.
The Mekedatu proposal has consequently become the subject of a fresh appeal from Tamil Nadu’s government to the prime minister. The next formal step will depend on how the Union government responds to the letter and how the project’s approval process proceeds.
