CM meets PM, Javadekar, presses for early clearances to reservoir project across TN border

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Environment & Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar requesting early approvals from different ministries for the Mekedatu reservoir project Karnataka has proposed across river Cauvery on Tamil Nadu borders.

The chief minister, who met the PM and Javadekar separately in Delhi, sought early release of terms of reference for the project as the State is keen to take Tamil Nadu on board before implementing the project.

The state has been pinning high hopes on the project regardless of the party in power in the State. Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah, and his and successor HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S)-Congress regime also keenly pursued it. Two years ago, during the previous coalition regime, the Water Resources Ministry gave conditional clearance for the project and asked the State to prepare a detailed project report (DPR).


The reservoir, if comes up, will help Karnataka in meeting part of the drinking water needs of Bengaluru in normal years that bring some extra water flow. A large chunk of Bengaluru’s population is not covered under the Cauvery Tribunal award.

The dam is estimated to cost Rs 6000 crore, and will need about 5000 acres of land. The Karnataka Cabinet, during the Congress reign under Siddaramaiah, has already given in-principle approval. Karnataka has planned the reservoir for 67 tmc feet (thousand million cubic feet) capacity, much larger than KRS dam’s storage capacity of 45 tmc feet. The Mekedatu project also involves a 400 MW hydel generating station.

Karnataka is required to release 192 tmc feet of water to TN in a normal year, but the State is concerned that a lot of water wastefully flows into the sea in normal monsoon years. The Cauvery Tribunal has allocated 17 tmc feet of water for Karnataka’s drinking water needs. TN, on the other hand, has got 29 tmc feet for its drinking water needs.

The Mekedatu reservoir will regulate the flow of water and whenever the State has a surplus, it will help to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru population and strengthen the water table. It will also provide water to the wildlife in Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border forests.