Mekedatu project "untenable and ought to be rejected

Tamil Nadu has said Karnataka's proposal to construct a reservoir across river Cauvery at Mekedatu was "untenable and ought to be rejected outright" and urged the Centre against giving its nod for the project following a fresh appeal by the upper riparian state.

Tamil Nadu is opposed to Karnataka's proposal to construct a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu in that state, saying it will be affected if the project takes shape.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami wrote to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and his Environment Ministry counterpart Prakash Javadekar, reminding them of pending court cases in this matter.

The letters dated October 9 were released by the state government on Thursday.

He told them the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court "have found that the existing storage facilities available in the Cauvery Basin are adequate for storing and distributing water to the lower riparian states as per the monthly schedule prescribed by it."
The chief minister recalled that an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydro-electric Projects of the Environment Ministry in its July meeting had "deferred the proposal of Karnataka's Mekedatu project."
Palaniswami urged Javadekar to instruct the Environment Ministry to issue instructions to the EAC "not to entertain" Karnataka's proposal and reject its detailed project report seeking grant of ToR to conduct environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environment management plans (EMP)."