Chennai, Nov 11 — AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has strongly opposed Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s assertion that Tamil Nadu’s permission was unnecessary for the proposed Mekedatu reservoir across the Cauvery, accusing Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay of failing to adequately defend the State’s water interests.
In a statement on Tuesday, Palaniswami criticised Karnataka’s position and alleged that its government was misleading the public about the project’s legal standing.
He maintained that the Supreme Court had not granted unrestricted clearance for construction of the reservoir. Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister, Palaniswami said he had repeatedly approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi during 2017-18 to oppose the project.
His government, he said, had pressed the Centre to withhold statutory and administrative approvals for Karnataka’s proposed reservoir. He accused the Vijay government of remaining a passive spectator while Karnataka advanced its plans.
Warning of consequences for agriculture in the Cauvery delta, the AIADMK leader sought stronger intervention to protect Tamil Nadu’s share of the river’s waters and the livelihoods dependent on it.
The criticism followed Shivakumar’s remarks in Hassan on Sunday that Karnataka required Tamil Nadu’s cooperation, rather than its permission, to implement the project.
He argued that the reservoir would benefit Tamil Nadu and invited its representatives to visit the site and discuss the proposal.
Shivakumar said the scheme would primarily meet Bengaluru’s drinking water needs and maintained that Karnataka would honour its obligations on Cauvery water releases.
He also cited Supreme Court proceedings in support of Karnataka’s position, while acknowledging the need for environmental and forest-related clearances. Significantly, his comments came after Vijay wrote to PM Modi opposing the project.
Palaniswami’s allegation of silence therefore concerns the adequacy of the government’s response amid renewed pressure from Karnataka.
The proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir envisages storing 67.16 thousand million cubic feet of water, supplying drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding areas, and generating 400 MW of electricity.
Karnataka presents it as a drinking water and power project. Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the reservoir, arguing that additional upstream storage could restrict flows reaching the State and affect irrigation.
The dispute centres on whether Karnataka’s proposed storage would compromise downstream water availability, particularly for farmers in the Cauvery delta who depend on timely releases for cultivation.