BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday urged the Union government to grant approval for the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir project.
Speaking at the second All India State Water Ministers’ Conference 2025 -- ‘India@2047: A Water Secure Nation’ in Udaipur, Rajasthan, the DyCM said the balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river will help Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The reservoir will help release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the specified monthly quantum, fulfil Bengaluru’s drinking water needs, and generate 400MW of power.
“The Centre had announced a grant of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project in the 2023-24 budget, yet the amount has not been released,” he said, and appealed to the Union government to release funds for the project as it caters to drought-affected Central Karnataka region.
He also appealed to the Ministry of Jal Shakti to move the Supreme Court by filing an application for modification of its order dated September 16, 2011, and take steps for a gazette notification of the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT-II) award, pronounced in 2010 to enable Karnataka to use its allocated share of water.
“I also request the Jal Shakti ministry to impress upon the Ministry of Environment to direct the National Board for Wildlife to give requisite clearances to the Kalasa Nala scheme related to the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal, that pronounced its award in August 2018,” he said.
The DyCM said the National Water Development Agency must revisit the state-wise provisions related to the Godavari-Cauvery Link Project under the Interlinking of Rivers scheme for irrigation, and allocate the rightful share to Karnataka on the “principle of equity and equitable apportionment” as the current allocation proposed for Karnataka stands at a meagre 15.891 tmcft (10.74%).
Shivakumar said there is a need for consolidation of existing legislations or formulation of a new legislation covering the entire water sector. Currently, there are 29 different legislations, including 14 Central acts and 15 State-level acts, he said.
He said there is a need to establish new administrative bodies with the requisite mandates, powers, authorities, staff and resources. There is also a need to restructure and reorganize government departments/agencies along with the corresponding institutional alignments and capacity building. “Current times demand development and adoption of new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in terms of approaches, methodologies, techno-managerial aspects, tools and practices so that processes are streamlined,” he said.