Mekedatu multipurpose project

Mekedatu multipurpose project

Mekedatu multipurpose project

Context

NGT has appointed a joint committee to look into allegations of unauthorised construction activity taking place in Mekedatu, where the Karnataka government had proposed to construct a dam across the Cauvery River.

Acting Suo Motu, NGT has directed the panel to submit a report on or before July 5.

Mekedatu multi-purpose project

  • The Mekedatu multi-purpose project involves building a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery River near Kanakapura in Ramanagaram district in Karnataka.
  • It envisages supplying drinking water to Bengaluru and Ramanagaram districts, besides generation of power.
  • The project was conceived in 2013 and in 2017, the Karnataka state cabinet decided to implement it.
  • The project, however, ran into a controversy after Tamil Nadu opposed it on the grounds that the project violates the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award

Why is Tamil Nadu opposing?

Tamil Nadu has been vehemently opposing the project and the CWC’s decision to grant permission for Karnataka to prepare the DPR.

Arguments of TN:

  1. Proposed reservoir violates the decisions of the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Tribunal. The Supreme Court had noted that the existing storage in the Cauvery basin of Karnataka should be taken into account for ensuring water releases to Tamil Nadu during the period of June to January.
  2. The centre says that the DPR submitted by Karnataka was subject to the amicable resolution of connected inter-State matters. However, Kerala, referring to the Guidelines of Submission, Appraisal and Acceptance of Irrigation and Multipurpose Project of 2017, argued that inter-State aspects had to be dealt with even at the stage of preparing the pre-feasibility report on the project.

    Download Yojna IAS Daily Current Affairs of 4th June 2021

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