BENGALURU: The tug-of-war between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and drinking water project refuses to die down. While Karnataka recently approached the Centre for environmental clearance, Tamil Nadu approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to reject the proposal completely.
According to Karnataka’s communication with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the project requires around 5,252.40 hectares. Out of this, around 4,996 hectares would be submergence including parts of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and reserve forest land, making clearance mandatory.
Written on June 20, the letter came after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s recent meeting with Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, seeking an early nod for the reservoir.
The Rs. 9000 crore project aims at harnessing 400 MW of hydroelectric power and also help meet drinking water needs of Bengaluru, located 110 km from Mekedatu in Kanakpura taluk, Ramanagara district.
However, on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to reject Karnataka’s entire project proposal.