7 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Thursday (November 13, 2025) termed Tamil Nadu’s exertion challenging the proposed operation of a reservoir by Karnataka astatine Mekedatu crossed the inter-state stream Cauvery arsenic “premature” and refused to entertain it.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai said, Detailed Project Report (DPR) connected the reservoir, submitted by Karnataka, was lone being considered by the experts successful the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has already made it wide that immoderate acceptance of the DPR would beryllium fixed lone aft approvals from CWMA and CWRC.
In lawsuit of support of DPR, affected parties, including Tamil Nadu, would beryllium escaped to instrumentality measures successful accordance with the law.
The apex tribunal said, Karnataka, anyway, would beryllium bound to merchandise Cauvery h2o allotted to little riparian Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, which is downstream.
The proceeding earlier the three-judge Bench was based connected an exertion moved by Tamil Nadu successful the apex tribunal seeking a absorption to restrain the CWMA from deliberating the projected reservoir project. The exertion has stated that the readying of the Mekedatu task with a capableness of 67.16 TMC ft. and procreation of 400 MW task worthy Rs. 9000 crore was successful “gross violation” of the determination of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal of February 5, 2007, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court itself connected February 16, 2018.
“The full nonsubjective of the Tribunal’s last determination is to guarantee that the signifier of the merchandise of h2o to the downstream State to conscionable irrigation interests is not jeopardised,” Tamil Nadu, represented by elder advocator Mukul Rohatgi, argued.
Senior advocator Shyam Divan, for Karnataka, would successful nary mode interaction the h2o allotted to Tamil Nadu. He said Tamil Nadu’s apprehensions were “completely misconceived”.
But Tamil Nadu explained that the projected reservoir would effect successful the impounding of the flows generated successful the Cauvery stream from the uncontrolled catchment of the Kabini sub-basin downstream of the Kabini reservoir, the catchment of Cauvery stream downstream of KRS dam, uncontrolled flows from Shimsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathy sub-basins and assorted different tiny streams, which are the sources to guarantee 177.25TMC astatine Billigundlu.
It said CWMA cannot deliberate oregon walk immoderate directions connected the task erstwhile the Supreme Court was seized of the state’s applications to nonstop the Central Water Commission to cull and instrumentality the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the task and restrain the Environment Ministry from entertaining immoderate exertion for clearance relating to the Mekedatu project.
