Mekedatu dam project: a long-standing source of friction between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

The Mekedatu dam task is backmost successful limelight with the Supreme Court, connected November 13, 2025, giving nod for the appraisal of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

The thought of the task proponent – the Karnataka authorities – is to impound 67.16 1000 cardinal cubic ft (TMC) of h2o by gathering a ₹9,000-crore balancing reservoir astatine Mekedatu (which, successful Kannada, means ‘goat’s leap’), astir 100 km from Bengaluru. The task volition person a 400 MW (megawatt) hydro powerfulness constituent too. In the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgement connected the Cauvery dispute, Karnataka had been sanctioned an further 4.75 TMC.

The arguments

It was the lawsuit of Karnataka earlier the tribunal that what the State intended to bash was “only utilisation of the h2o allotted to it, arsenic per the Award of the CWDT [Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal], arsenic modified by this court.” The precocious riparian State besides argued it was “completely wrong its right” to utilise the h2o allotted successful its stock successful the best imaginable manner. Even aft the Mekedatu dam was constructed, the uncontrolled travel of h2o towards Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry would not beryllium affected.

Asserting Karnataka did not person a close to conception a dam astatine Mekedatu, Tamil Nadu submitted if the projected dam was allowed, its close for the “uncontrolled travel of h2o would beryllium adversely affected.” By constructing a dam, “Karnataka is, in fact, doing thing which volition magnitude to the modification of the Award passed by the CWDT, arsenic modified by this court,” according to the little riparian State.

Hearing some sides, the Supreme Court clarified Karnataka would beryllium bound to merchandise the water, arsenic directed by the CWMA, which would beryllium measured by the CWC astatine the measuring constituent of Biligundulu. It besides stated “every State is escaped to utilise h2o allotted to its quota successful the mode it finds to beryllium successful the champion involvement of the State. No different State has a close to interfere with the determination regarding the absorption and usage of h2o allotted to a peculiar State unless by specified enactment the h2o allotted to that State is reduced.”

‘Revised’ DPR

It is against this backdrop that the Karnataka authorities has decided to springiness a caller lease of beingness to the task by readying to taxable a “revised” DPR soon to the Central authorities. If 1 looks backmost astatine the past of the Cauvery dispute, the Mekedatu task cropped up a fig of times during inter-State negotiations arsenic good arsenic talks among each the basin-States of the Cauvery which see Kerala and Puducherry.

A perusal of materials disposable with The Hindu Archives for the past 75 years reveals however the task was animatedly discussed. As aboriginal arsenic successful February 1950, this paper reported that the 2 governments had travel to an knowing and Karnataka, past known arsenic Mysore conscionable arsenic Tamil Nadu was called Madras astatine that time, had “secured” the motion of the different State for powerfulness procreation and the erstwhile had received a revised draught statement from the latter. In 1950, the project, envisaging the accumulation of 15 MW initially and 35-40 MW eventually, was estimated to outgo ₹5 crore, retired of which the archetypal signifier itself would outgo ₹3.5 crore.

Kamaraj period

Detailed investigations were conducted betwixt 1962 and 1964 for the constitution of 2 dams and 2 powerfulness houses adjacent Hogenakkal astatine a full outgo of ₹80 crore which could nutrient 800 MW of power. The strategy progressive the operation of a 470 ft. precocious dam and a large powerhouse astatine Rasimanal, 15 km upstream (also successful Tamil Nadu).

Speaking of the probe work, erstwhile Chief Engineer of the now-defunct Tamil Nadu Electricity Board R. Sengottaiyan, who was successful complaint of hydro projects, recalled to this analogous successful the 1990s that successful February 1963, Chief Ministers of the 2 States, K. Kamaraj and S. Nijalingappa, planned to sojourn the tract of the projected Hogenakkal hydro-electric task amid the anticipation that adjacent the instauration chromatic would beryllium laid then. However, the sojourn was enactment disconnected astatine the past infinitesimal and it ne'er materialised, the erstwhile technologist recounted.

The committee

When Irrigation Ministers of the 2 States — H.M. Chennabasappa and P.U. Shanmugam — met astatine the picturesque spot of Hogenakkal connected June 5 successful 1974, an knowing was reached that officials of the 2 States would independently analyse and besides clasp communal consultations to marque elaborate feasibility studies of the powerfulness projects, according to a study published by The Hindu the adjacent day.

In November 1980, the past Karnataka Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao, told during a property league that his authorities had acceptable up a nine-member committee to gully up a feasibility study connected the Mekedatu project, envisaging powerfulness procreation of astir 1,000 MW, said a study of this paper connected November 12, 1980.

A twelvemonth later, helium claimed the adept sheet had concluded that the Mekadatu hydroelectric task was much suitable for operation than the Hogenakkal task projected by Tamil Nadu. However, successful February 1987, the past Industry and Power Minister J.H. Patel sounded conciliatory towards Tamil Nadu erstwhile helium said his State had suggested some to the Centre and Tamil Nadu that the Mekedatu and Hogenakkal projects beryllium taken up arsenic associated projects without bringing successful the Cauvery waters quality but nary reply was received from the 2 governments. Patel, who was a Minister successful the Janata government, headed by Ramakrishna Hegde, informed the Assembly that his State had sought the Centre’s clearance for Mekedatu.

During August 1996 - January 1997, erstwhile the 2 States held 5 rounds of negotiations to settee the halfway Cauvery quality successful the airy of the Supreme Court’s suggestion, the Mekedatu dam task came up for discussion. According to a quality report, filed by seasoned writer of Karnataka P.A. Ramaiah, published successful this regular connected October 27, 1996, the Centre was inclined to instrumentality up the Mekedatu task arsenic its own. The outgo mightiness beryllium ₹2,000 crores and the powerfulness — astir 950 MW — could beryllium shared by each the 4 riparian States. Mekedatu was not being regarded arsenic an alternate to the Hogenakkal task of Tamil Nadu.

Karunanidhi period

Two weeks aft the 5th and last circular of negotiations held successful Chennai connected January 5, 1997, the past Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi told journalists that it was the Mekedatu task that stood successful the mode of reaching an accord connected the sharing of the Cauvery h2o betwixt the 2 States. But, his Karnataka counterpart Patel, connected his instrumentality to Bengaluru connected the time helium led his State’s talks with Tamil Nadu, told reporters the crushed down the nonaccomplishment of the talks was that Tamil Nadu has pitched its request for a higher percent of the stock of the stream water.

When P.R. Kumaramangalam was the Union Power Minister successful the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) authorities during 1998-2000, helium made an effort, done National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC), to revive the Mekedatu and Hogenakkal task arsenic components of a bigger hydro powerfulness scheme, that included powerfulness plants successful Shivasamudram and Rasimanal. Aimed astatine gathering a full request of 1,150-megawatt (MW), the Cauvery Hydro Power Project (CHPP) envisaged mounting up 4 plants astatine Shivasamudram (270 MW) and Mekadatu (400 MW) successful Karnataka and Rasimanal (360 MW) and Hogenakkal (120 MW) successful Tamil Nadu.

Initiated successful 1999, the discussions went connected for years astatine antithetic levels with the Centre acting arsenic the facilitator. In August 2008, Union Minister of State for Power and Commerce and Industry Jairam Ramesh, who emerged from astir an hour-long gathering with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi astatine the Secretariat, explained the rationale down pursuing the “elusive” project. The outgo of powerfulness done the CHPP would beryllium ₹2.5 to ₹3 a portion erstwhile the States were buying powerfulness astatine a complaint of ₹7.5 to ₹8 a unit, helium explained. Finally, the talks broke down aft 1 circular successful Chennai successful August 2009. Citing 1 crushed oregon the other, the basin States did not get astatine immoderate understanding.

In the past 10 years, particularly aft the 2007 last grant fixed by the Tribunal, the precocious riparian State’s attack has been to contiguous the Mekedatu task arsenic 1 that seeks to instrumentality the last award, arsenic modified by the Supreme Court successful 2018. Also, the project’s intent is to code the drinking h2o proviso requirements of Bengaluru, a constituent of which has been conceded by the Court.

Tamil Nadu’s basal has been that the Authority and the CWC should not entertain its neighbour’s plea for Mekedatu, fixed the precocious riparian State’s “track record” successful implementing the awards of the Tribunal. But, aft the Court’s support for the introspection of the revised DPR, which is expected to beryllium submitted by Karnataka successful the coming months, the conflict implicit Mekedatu is lone apt to intensify further.