DK Shivakumar will soon be the Karnataka Chief Minister on June 3. This development renewed hopes among the residents of his native village, Doddaalahalli, over the Mekedatu dam. They believe that his role in the Mekedatu agitation contributed immensely to his rise to the top in the state.
The proposed multi-purpose balancing reservoir to be built near the confluence of the Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers remains a fault line in the long-pending water dispute among the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
The issue made it to the news cycle recently as the Supreme Court dismissed two pleas from 2025 by the Tamil Nadu government against the project so far. The state said the construction of the Mekedatu dam would affect the water flow to Tamil Nadu. However, it is to be seen how the newly formed DKS-led Congress government will steer the issue going forward.