Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 4 (ANI): The four-day awareness padayatra (protest march) against the Karnataka government’s proposed Mekedatu Dam on the Cauvery River entered its fourth and final day on Saturday, with Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss alleging that the project would threaten Tamil Nadu’s water security, agriculture and ecology.
The protest march, which began on July 1 with participants alleging that the project would adversely impact the water security and livelihoods of millions in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to ANI, Ramadoss said the proposed reservoir would significantly increase Karnataka’s water storage capacity while putting Tamil Nadu, the lower riparian state, at a disadvantage.
“The proposed Mekedatu Dam is designed to hold 70 Thousand Million Cubic feet (TMC) of water, making it the largest dam across the Cauvery River in Karnataka. Karnataka already possesses a storage capacity of 115 TMC across four major dams–KRS, Kabini, Hemavathi and Harangi. The new dam would push their total capacity to 185 TMC. In contrast, Tamil Nadu relies primarily on the Mettur Dam, which has a capacity of only 93 TMC. As a lower riparian state, Tamil Nadu survives largely on the surplus run-off water overflowing from Karnataka’s reservoirs,” he said.
Referring to the Cauvery water-sharing dispute, Ramadoss alleged that Karnataka had failed to comply with directions on water release despite orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court.
“The 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award, reiterated by the Supreme Court in 2018, mandated that Tamil Nadu receive 177.25 TMC of water annually according to a monthly schedule. The Cauvery Water Management Board directed Karnataka to release 9.91 TMC for June, but only 2.91 TMC was released. Tamil Nadu is due to receive 42 TMC in July, which now appears unlikely,” he claimed.
The PMK chief said Karnataka’s drinking water requirements could be met through its existing reservoirs.
“Why do you need to build a 70 TMC dam when your drinking water requirement is only 5 TMC? Karnataka has already been allotted 4.75 TMC for Bengaluru’s drinking water by the Supreme Court, and that requirement can be met through existing reservoirs like KRS or Kabini,” he said.
Ramadoss also raised environmental concerns, alleging that the project would submerge over 12,500 acres of forest land within the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, threatening wildlife habitats and posing potential seismic risks.
He further said that, “5.5 crore people in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai’s population, depend on the Cauvery for drinking water, while 28 of the state’s 38 districts rely on the river. Karnataka had significantly expanded its irrigated area in the Cauvery basin over the years, whereas Tamil Nadu’s cultivable area had declined and would reduce further if the Mekedatu project is implemented.”
“Since 1974, Karnataka has expanded its Cauvery basin irrigated area from 6.7 lakh acres to 21 lakh acres. While, Tamil Nadu’s cultivable area has shrunk from 29 lakh acres to 20 lakh acres. If Mekedatu is built, Tamil Nadu’s share is projected to plummet further to just 10 lakh acres, while Karnataka’s expands to 30 lakh acres,” he added. (ANI)
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