Cauvery row: Karnataka can’t build Mekedatu dam without Tamil Nadu’s consent, says Minister Durai Murugan

Durai Murugan’s reply was in response to a question raised by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami during the zero hour over the Cauvery river row.

Mekedatu dam was proposed near Kanakapura in Karnataka’s border district of Ramanagara to address the drinking water issues of Bengaluru and neighbouring areas. However, Tamil Nadu fears the project will affect the flow of water downstream, upsetting agriculture in the state.

“On February 1, the issue was raised again. The secretary of the WRD had informed them that we had opposed this proposal since the beginning, and we have initiated legal proceedings over this as well and asked them not to bring this issue for discussion. Despite this, the CWMA took up the issue for discussion,” he said.

Minister Durai Murugan said that except the representative of Karnataka, none of the representatives of other states including Kerala, Puducherry and even that of the Union Government had approved to take up the matter for discussion.

Durai Murugan remarked that the CWMA chairman had informed the members that the subject cannot be discussed based on the opinion of the majority of them. However, the chairman erred while sending the contents of the minutes of the meeting to the Tamil Nadu government, the minister said.

The content noted that the matters of discussion would be sent to the notice of the Central Water Commission (CWC) to consider the technical and economic aspects in the Mekedatu scheme and see whether the construction of the reservoir is a possibility and take further measures.

“We immediately informed the chairman over this and we would be approaching the court as well. Our secretary has also written to the Ministry of Jal Shakthi, Forest Department, CWC Chairman, highlighting that cases are pending against the proposed scheme and it has not been allowed by the Supreme Court,” he said.

Duraimurugan said the Karnataka government cannot construct the reservoir by bringing the matter to the notice of CWC as there are multiple other procedures after that. “I inform this Assembly now, without the concurrence of Tamil Nadu, not even a single brick can be laid,” he said.

The minister added that whichever government assumes power in Karnataka, be it BJP or Congress, they continue to speak about the construction of the reservoir across the Cauvery river, but they cannot achieve that and no party here will allow that to happen.

Edappadi, who staged a walkout along with other AIADMK legislators raising slogans against the DMK government, told reporters that the decision taken in the 28th meeting of the CWMA is against the interests of Tamil Nadu.

He noted that the CWMA could only implement the verdict of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal within the ambit allowed by the Supreme Court but it did not have the power to discuss anything related to the construction of the reservoir in Mekedatu.

Edappadi claimed the DMK government did not oppose the discussion and now CWMA has sent its recommendation to CWC due to which the farmers are upset and angry.

“We had raised the issue in the Assembly fearing what might happen if CWC takes decision in favour of construction of the reservoir,” Edappadi said.

He claimed that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has recently announced in the Assembly that he would allocate funds towards the construction of the reservoir and the DMK government which had been sleeping over these developments has to wake up at least now and take appropriate measures to prevent anything that would affect Cauvery river, which is the lifeline of the state.

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