Mekedatu is not for Karnataka but it will help Tamil Nadu, said Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after a consultation with legal experts and officials at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi regarding Cauvery water-sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on Thursday. Karnataka Deputy CM, who also holds Water Resources portfolio, said that it is a big pain for Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu since there was no water nor rain in the state.
Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "Today, we had a meeting with all our legal experts. Now, the entire team is on the way to meet our senior advocate who is representing Karnataka.”
“We have been given an order to release 5,000 cusecs of water. It is a big pain to Karnataka because there is no water. There is no rain...I hope they will respect the sentiments and farmers of Karnataka,” he said.
The Deputy CM said that they also respect the farmers of Tamil Nadu but still Karnataka was in a grave situation. He said, “Our appeal is that the only solution is Mekedatu...Mekedatu is not for Karnataka, it will help Tamil Nadu."
Meanwhile, Karnataka government raised the amount of water released from the KRS Dam in Mandya district on Thursday despite farmer protests as a result of orders from the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) and the Supreme Court.
What Is Mekedatu Project?
Mekedatu is a multifaceted project aimed at constructing a balancing reservoir in the Karnataka district of Ramanagara, close to Kanakapura. The project was announced by the Karnataka government in 2013 and a thorough project report was presented to the Centre on its plans in 2019.
Karnataka government strongly strives to implement the project in order to generate electricity and meet the drinking water needs of the region.
Tamil Nadu has, however, been strongly opposing Karnataka's Mekedatu project. According to Tamil Nadu, the Mekadatu dam will drastically restrict the amount of water flowing downstream, having a negative effect on the state's agricultural operations and water supply.