Congress justifies Mekedatu drinking water project

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has defended the proposed Mekedatu drinking water project, asserting that the Supreme Court has already determined the legal framework and that the reservoir does not affect Karnataka's legal duty to release water to Tamil Nadu. Actor Chethan Ahimsa sent a letter to Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, voicing environmental worries over the project.

Congress vice-president S.A. Hussain responded, highlighting Bengaluru's daily water shortage of 500 million litres, a figure considered factual rather than speculative. Hussain emphasized that while all major infrastructure projects entail environmental trade-offs, the key consideration is whether the project's benefits justify the impact and if it can be mitigated responsibly.

He pointed out the substantial loss of forest land in other major projects, including 5,000 hectares in Sardar Sarovar, 40,000 hectares in Narmada Sagar, and over 75,000 acres in Polavaram. Hussain urged a thorough and unbiased technical review of the project's impact on biodiversity, particularly the grizzled giant squirrel population, asserting that water security and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive goals.