BENGALURU: In a serious setback to Tamil Nadu, the union government on Monday clarified that there was no need for Karnataka to obtain the consent of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry to construct the reservoir across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.
Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said as per the Supreme Court judgment on the Cauvery water dispute on February 16, 2018, there was no mention that Karnataka has to obtain the consent of other riparian states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the UT of Puducherry — to construct any kind of structure across the river Cauvery.
The minister was responding to Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha member Dr Anbumani Ramadoss’ question in the Upper House of the Parliament.
“The Supreme Court in its order has found Clause XVIII of Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 appropriate and reiterated in its order that ‘Nothing in the order of this Tribunal shall impair the right or power or authority of any State to regulate within its boundaries the use of water or to enjoy the benefit of waters within that state in a manner not inconsistent with the order of this Tribunal’,” the minister said.
He said Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water Project has been returned to the project authority with the request to submit the revised DPR in compliance with the CWDT award and as per the extant CWC guidelines. Ramadoss had asked the minister “whether Karnataka has obtained the consent of lower riparian states for the proposed Mekedatu Project.”
Responding to the Union minister’s statement, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the Supreme Court has given a verdict favourable to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
It has clearly stated that Karnataka does not need permission from other states to build a balancing reservoir on Karnataka’s own land, and other states have no right to object, the CM said at a meeting of MPs from Karnataka in New Delhi on Monday.
“Today in the Rajya Sabha, the Jal Shakti minister repeated this same point while answering a question from Tamil Nadu’s Anbumani Ramadoss. I thank him on behalf of Karnataka for this,” the CM said and informed the MPs that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay wants to meet him.
Drinking water
The Karnataka government has maintained that the balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu, around 100 km from Bengaluru, with a storage capacity of 67 tmcft, will help in the release of water to Tamil Nadu during drought years.
The state government has also made it clear that water from the reservoir will be used to supply drinking water to Bengaluru, and generating 400 MW of electricity from the project will benefit the state’s energy sector.