Mekedatu dam not possible sans our nod: Cauvery authority

Reports in some sections of the media said Karnataka could not construct a dam without the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s approval, which brought some relief to Tamil Nadu.

CWMA Chairman S Masood Hussain said the authority has not given permission to Karnataka to construct the dam at Mekedatu.

“Permission was granted to Karnataka only for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Mekedatu reservoir, not for its construction. The arguments of Tamil Nadu officials are carefully considered,” said Hussain, after the meeting in which officials from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka took part.

PWD officials from Tamil Nadu, headed by department Secretary SK Prabakar, stressed that the CWMA should refuse permission for the construction of the Mekedatu dam.  Heated arguments were witnessed between officials from Tamil Nadu and their Karnataka counterparts during the meeting. 

After the meeting, Prabakar said that Karnataka preparing the DPR for Mekedatu without consulting the basin states is in violation of the Supreme Court order and Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. Recently, the Central Water Commission granted permission to Karnataka to prepare the DPR for construction of Mekedatu dam. Tamil Nadu opposed it.

With the Central Water Commission having the given green signal for the Rs 5,900 crore Mekedatu water project across the Cauvery, the Karnataka government would soon submit the detailed project report (DPR), Water Resources minister DK Shivakumar said here on Monday. He said he will a lead team of engineers, experts and forest officials to the proposed project site on December 7 for an on-site survey in the Cauvery basin.