Karnataka: With DKS at helm, irrigation department to prioritise Mekedatu project

The Mekedatu project, one of the first issues the Congress raised to garner support for the elections, is back in the spotlight with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, calling a meeting of the irrigation department on Tuesday.

Officials said Mekedatu is expected to come up during the first meeting as Shivakumar, who led the Congress’s padayatra to corner the BJP, is likely to give it high priority as he also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru development.

“We expect a renewed interest. A brief on the current status is being prepared,” an official said.

Also Read: Will continue to oppose Mekedatu project: TN

Following a petition against the project by Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court has directed the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to look into the matter.

The project was estimated to cost Rs 9,000 crore (2019 rates). It seeks to utilise the additional 4.75 tmc ft of water allotted to Karnataka to meet the drinking water requirement of “Bengaluru and its surroundings”.

Karnataka also seeks to regulate the water flow to Tamil Nadu and release the quantum as per the 2018 direction of the Supreme Court.

A gravity dam at Mekedatu to store 67.16 tmc ft of water, an underground power house with three caverns and other infrastructure to generate 400 MW electricity, a jackwell-cum-pumphouse to lift water are the major components of the project.

The project requires a total of 12,979 acres, of which 12,345.4 acres will be submerged. Save for 500 acres of revenue land, the rest of the land that will go under water belongs to the ecologically sensitive Kaveri wildlife sanctuary and the surrounding forests.

Environmental activists and experts have warned that submerging large swathes of protected area at a time when wildlife habitat is shrinking will have major consequences, starting from wildlife conflict to the larger issues of climate change.

Karnataka’s proposal came in the wake of the Supreme Court order that allocated 284.75 tmc ft to Karnataka and reduced the flow at Biligundlu (towards Tamil Nadu) from 192 tmc ft to 177.25 tmc ft.

Karnataka had argued that the project was crucial for supplying drinking water to “50%” of Bengaluru, which is now relying on ground water and other sources.

With the BBMP elections round the corner, the government is likely to push for an early approval.

“The matter needs approval from CWMA, Supreme Court and the Union environment ministry. It’s a long-drawn process. However, considering that the water will be pumped for drinking purpose and not irrigation, we hope to convince the authorities at each level,” a senior official at Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited told DH.