Tamil Nadu Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan on Thursday said reports claiming that the Supreme Court had permitted the construction of a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery at Mekedatu in Karnataka were not true.
He said the Tamil Nadu government would not compromise on the rights of the Cauvery delta farmers, and would resist any attempts by the Karnataka government to proceed with the project.
Mr. Duraimurugan said the Karnataka government had, in 2018, unilaterally prepared a feasibility report for building a balancing reservoir, with a capacity of 67 tmc ft, across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, and submitted it to the Central Water Commission (CWC). The Tamil Nadu government had filed a petition against this move in the Supreme Court.
In 2020, when the Karnataka government sought from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change approval of the Terms of Reference to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment for the project, the Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court again and obtained a stay on the process, he said.
When the Karnataka government allocated ₹1,000 crore for the project, the Tamil Nadu government strongly opposed it, urging both the Union government and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) not to grant clearance. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly also adopted a unanimous resolution on March 21, 2022, on this issue, he said.
When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022, he insisted that approval should not be given for the project. Following this, when the Union government said that the CWMA had the authority to consider Karnataka’s proposal, Tamil Nadu once again filed a petition in the Supreme Court on June 7, 2022, asserting that the CWMA had no such power, he said.
“As a result of Tamil Nadu’s persistent efforts, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu project has not been taken up for discussion in the CWMA meetings. The CWMA also returned Karnataka’s proposal to the CWC on February 9, 2024,” Mr. Duraimurugan said.
Referring to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent remarks that Karnataka had released more water to Tamil Nadu than its due share during the 2025-26 water year, and that the Mekedatu project would not affect Tamil Nadu in any way, Mr. Duraimurugan said such claims were completely unacceptable.
“Karnataka releases surplus water only during years of heavy rainfall, when it has no other option. But during drought years, Tamil Nadu does not receive even the quantity of water allocated to it. Constructing the Mekedatu balancing reservoir would severely affect Tamil Nadu’s farmers and violate the orders of the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal,” he said.
According to the Minister, the Supreme Court, while hearing a case related to the Mekedatu project on Wednesday, directed that Tamil Nadu’s views be presented before the CWMA and the CWC, and that no decision be made without hearing the State’s objections.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss cricticised the DMK government over the Supreme Court’s observation on the Mekedatu project.
The Supreme Court had termed Tamil Nadu’s application challenging Karnataka’s proposal to build a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu “premature”, and refused to entertain it. In the event of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) being approved, the affected parties, including Tamil Nadu, would be free to take measures in accordance with the law.
Mr. Palaniswami and Dr. Anbumani said that the M.K. Stalin-led DMK government did not put forth strong arguments against the project. “Those in the DMK are only concerned about safeguarding their business interests in Karnataka,” Mr. Palaniswami alleged.
He urged the DMK government to take appropriate measures to uphold the rights of the State. The Supreme Court’s observation had created an opportunity for the Centre to review the DPR for the project. The DMK did not put forth appropriate arguments, and had suffered a big defeat when it came to safeguarding the rights of the State over the Cauvery, he said.
Dr. Anbumani said, “The Supreme Court verdict is dangerous, and is favourable to Karnataka.”
The DMK government should file a review petition, put forth strong arguments, and safeguard the rights of the State, he added.
Published – November 13, 2025 11:01 pm IST
