Supreme Court has asked Tamil Nadu to take up opposition to dam with CWMA, CWC: Minister

Chennai, Nov 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court has ruled that the Tamil Nadu government may convey its opposition to the Mekedatu dam project to the CWMA and the CWC and that no decision can be taken without hearing the lower riparian state's views, Minister for Water Resources, Duraimurugan asserted here on Thursday.

The Minister rejected "some flawed information" claiming as if the apex court had given its nod to Karnataka to build the Mekedatu reservoir across River Cauvery.

The DMK government will never make any compromises on the interests of farmers and will not allow Karnataka to build a dam by violating the verdict of the top court and also the Award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, he said.

Like in the past, the Minister said Tamil Nadu --which is pursuing legal battles-- would continue to be successful in preventing the neighbouring state from constructing the dam.

Duraimurugan, senior most minister and a veteran DMK party leader, provided a detailed background to the Supreme Court's order on November 13 by tracing legal battles and related developments till date starting from the year, 2018.

The Minister said that the Tamil Nadu government had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Karnataka unilaterally preparing a feasibility report on the construction of a dam (with a storage capacity of 67 TMC) across River Cauvery in Mekedatu and submitting it to the Central Water Commission in the year 2018.

When the Karnataka government approached the Centre in 2020 to get approval for the Terms of Reference over the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project, the Tamil Nadu government filed another petition in the Supreme Court and halted that move of the neighbouring state.

Subsequently, when Rs 1,000 crore was allocated in the Karnataka Budget for the Mekedatu project, the Tamil Nadu government strongly opposed it and an unanimous resolution was adopted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on March 21, 2022 urging the Centre and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to not accord sanction for the project.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, when he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March and May 2022, requested him to not permit that project.

The Tamil Nadu government filed one more petition in the apex court on June 7, 2022 asserting the CWMA does not have the powers to consider the detailed project report, though it was included in the agenda for discussion.

Hence, in view of the various efforts taken by the Tamil Nadu government, the DPR on the Mekedatu reservoir has not been discussed till date in the CWMA meetings, the Minister underlined. Also, on February 9, 2024, the CWMA returned the project proposal on Mekedatu to the Central Water Commission and this was a huge victory for the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government.

Karnataka's argument that Mekedatu project will not affect Tamil Nadu is not acceptable. Karnataka state releases water only during excessive rainfall, as there was no other option. During distress years, water is not released as per the formula for such times and construction of a dam at Mekedatu will only mean non-availability of water as per allocation to Tamil Nadu during distress years.

Hence, the truth is building a reservoir at Mekedatu will seriously affect the Tamil Nadu farmers and contravene the Final Award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court order.

The Minister said: "Under such circumstances, the Supreme Court, which heard matters related to this dam, on November 13, 2025 has ruled that all the opinions of the Tamil Nadu government opposing construction of the Mekedatu dam could be conveyed to the CWMA and the CWC and that no decision can be taken without hearing the views of the Tamil Nadu government." Further, the Minister asserted that it would present its forceful arguments before the CWMA and the CWC against the Mekedatu project, similar to the sustained efforts during the past which has successfully halted the project so far.

Therefore, "some wrong news" --claiming as if the Supreme Court has given its approval for the construction of the Mekedatu dam-- is condemnable and there is apparently no truth in such claims, Duraimurugan said.

The Dravidian model government, helmed by Chief Minister MK Stalin, will never compromise on the rights of the Cauvery delta farmers of Tamil Nadu.

The Dravidian model government will nip in the bud, any efforts of the Karnataka government to construct a new dam across river Cauvery violating the final award of the Cavuery tribunal and the judgment of the apex court in this regard, the Minister said.

The Supreme Court on November 13 rejected a plea by the Tamil Nadu government against construction of the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project across the Cauvery river by Karnataka, terming it "premature" .

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justices K Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria said the plan would be approved only after considering the objections of the State as well as the opinion of the expert bodies, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). PTI VGN VGN ROH