Mekedatu Dam Would Block All Water to Tamil Nadu, Claims PMK Chief

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has strongly asserted that the proposed Mekedatu reservoir project in Karnataka would effectively block all water flow from the state to Tamil Nadu. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to firmly oppose Karnataka's efforts to implement the project, advocating for a unified action plan involving all political parties and farmers' associations.

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On Saturday, the discharge from the Kabini reservoir into the Cauvery was increased to 25,000 cusecs. It was drastically reduced to 10,000 cusecs on Sunday morning before being revised to 14,958 cusecs as inflows rose to 28,009 cusecs.

Ramadoss criticized Karnataka's recent water release patterns from the Kabini reservoir, describing them as erratic. He noted that discharge into the Cauvery River fluctuated significantly, from 25,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs and back to 14,958 cusecs within a short period. Ramadoss alleged that this unpredictable behavior demonstrates Karnataka's unwillingness to release Tamil Nadu's rightful share of water, suggesting the state is using the Cauvery merely as a channel to drain surplus water.

Highlighting the water storage levels in Karnataka's reservoirs, Ramadoss stated that four major reservoirs collectively hold 74.05 TMC of water, which is 64 percent of their total capacity. He claimed that Karnataka owes Tamil Nadu 40 TMC of water by the end of July and could easily release water from its nearly full reservoirs like Harangi, Hemavathi, and Kabini. Instead, he alleged, Karnataka is diverting water from Harangi to the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir.

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This unpredictable pattern clearly demonstrates that Karnataka has no intention of releasing Tamil Nadu's lawful share of water. Instead, it is using the Cauvery, which flows through Tamil Nadu, merely as a flood drainage channel to flush out surplus water.

Ramadoss explained that the Mekedatu project, situated downstream of Karnataka's major reservoirs near the Tamil Nadu border, would impound even the surplus water currently flowing from reservoirs like Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathi through the KRS dam. This, he claimed, would make it virtually impossible for any water to reach Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the Mekedatu project, fearing it would harm its interests, while Karnataka proposes it for Bengaluru's drinking water needs and hydropower generation.

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If the project is implemented, even the surplus water currently flowing from the Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathi reservoirs through the KRS dam would be impounded at Mekedatu. Under such circumstances, it would become virtually impossible for any water to reach Tamil Nadu.