MYSURU: When the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments are yet to come to terms on construction of Mekedatu reservoir, the farmers and people in border villages across the Cauvery river in both the states are unhappy with the wastage of water. They strongly feel that their is a need for a reservoir that can store water for both the states.
The sight of water being released into the sea with Mettur reservoir brimming is causing a lot of heartburn to farmers who bore the brunt of consecutive droughts in Cauvery catchment area in Karnataka.
Sources said about 155 tmcft of water has flown from Kabini and KRS reservoirs to neighbouring Tamil Nadu in the last couple of weeks as the discharged water touched one lakh cusecs following heavy rains in Kodagu and also in Wayanad, Kerala.
Though, the Mettur reservior with 93.47 tmcft is double the capacity of KRS, the increase in inflow made the Tamil Nadu officials open the sluice gate on July 15. This also forced the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments to shut bird sanctuary in Srirangapatna and Hogenekkal falls to tourists.
Farmers and people of about 20 villages in both the states even offered Adi Perukku puja to river Cauvery. “I am happy that Cauvery is in spate after five years. We hope that it would solve the problems of lakhs of farmers dependent on the river,” said Velli of Singapora on Tamil Nadu border.
Shivakumar meets Gadkari
Bengaluru: Karnataka on Wednesday renewed its efforts to implement the Mekedatu drinking water and hydroelectric project in the Cauvery basin. Karnataka Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar called on Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and requested for expeditious clearance of the pre-feasibility report of the project.
The `5,912-crore project includes constructing a balancing reservoir with a storage capacity of 65 tmcft of water at Mekedatu in Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagaram district (about 90 km from Bengaluru). The project will have provision to generate about 400 MW of power apart from meeting the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and other towns. While Karnataka has been asserting that the project will utlise only its share of Cauvery water, Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project and has requested the Union government not to clear it.