NEW DELHI: The Karnataka government has told the Supreme Court that the Mekedatu hydel-reservoir project will help draw water from Cauvery river for Bengaluru city and provide electricity to Tamil Nadu, which it said had a historical habit of objecting to every development project in Karnataka.
In an affidavit countering TN's petition seeking scrapping of Mekedatu project above the Biligundlu reservoir, from where the two states draw their share of water as per the Water Disputes Tribunal award of 2007 as modified by the SC in 2018, the Karnataka government said the apex court has not restrained the state from constructing the project, which is intended for lifting allocated water supply for Bengaluru.
Though the tribunal award as modified by the SC gave a specific allocation of water for Bengaluru city, it did not specify or name the project from where the water is to be drawn from river cauvery, Karnataka said. It had approached the Central Water Commission for clearance of the feasibility report of the Mekedatu hydro-electric power and balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project. The CWC had sought the views of the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
At this stage the TN government approached the SC alleging that Mekedatu project would lead to impounding flows of intermediate catchment below KRS and Kabini reservoirs and Biligundlu on the Karnataka-TN border and it would have a cascading effect on the 10 daily and monthly inflows during crucial months of June to September.
Karnataka said that since Biligundlu is below Mekedatu, the latter will help regulate flows in favour of TN during June and July, if Monsoon gets delayed. It said that TN has taken up Kundah and Sillahalla hydro-electric projects without making any reference to CWMA. Hence, it cannot object to the Mekedatu project, it said, adding the project would share electricity with TN.
The BJP-ruled state said, "Tamil Nadu is being unnecessarily obstructive. Its predecessor Madras too had objected to each and every project in Karnataka."
