Anbumani says Mekedatu dam would block Cauvery flows to TN
Chennai, the People's Murli Kutir Mazdoor Party's (PMK) leader Anbumani Ramadoss declared on Sunday that the Mekedatu dam project, if built, would obstruct Cauvery water flow to Tamil Nadu. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to adamantly oppose Karnataka's efforts to execute the project and encouraged a combined strategy from all political factions and farmer associations.
Anbumani pointed out that Karnataka's water releases over recent days had been inconsistent. He mentioned that the discharge from the Kabini reservoir into the Cauvery River increased to 25,000 cusecs on Saturday, dropped to 10,000 cusecs on Sunday morning, and rose to 14,958 cusecs as inflows increased to 28,009 cusecs. He argued that Karnataka was using the Cauvery, which passes through Tamil Nadu, only as a flood drainage system to discharge surplus water instead of fulfilling Tamil Nadu's lawful water entitlement.
He also noted that the four major reservoirs in Karnataka were currently holding 74.05 TMC of water, which is 64% of their total capacity of 114.57 TMC. Anbumani alleged that Karnataka is diverting water from Harangi, Hemavathi, and Kabini reservoirs into the Krishna Raja Sagara reservoir to fill it up. He also pointed out that Hemavathi would likely reach full capacity within a week, and its surplus water would be stored in the KRS reservoir, indicating Karnataka's unwillingness to release Tamil Nadu's fair share of water.
He explained that the proposed Mekedatu dam, located downstream of Karnataka's major reservoirs close to the Tamil Nadu border, would impound even the surplus water currently flowing through the KRS dam from Karnataka's reservoirs. Consequently, it would become nearly impossible for any water to reach Tamil Nadu. He appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to continue its firm opposition to the project, consult all political parties and farmer organizations, and devise a clear and decisive action plan to safeguard Tamil Nadu's rights over the Cauvery waters.
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