Centre sticks to its stand on the Mekedatu dam project, reiterates its reply in the Lok Sabha too
The Indian Union government has reiterated in the Lok Sabha that Karnataka does not require the consent of other riparian states to construct the Mekedatu dam. This stance contradicts the concerns raised by the Tamil Nadu government regarding water flow and delta impact.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights ongoing inter-state tensions over water rights and the interpretation of judicial awards regarding river management.
The Union government, on Thursday in the Lok Sabha, reiterated the reply on the issue of Mekedatu dam it gave early this week in the Rajya Sabha.
Replying to the question posed by the DMK’s MP Dayanidhi Maran on the impact of the dam project in Tamil Nadu, the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary informed the Lower House that in the Supreme Court judgment of February 2018 on the Cauvery dispute, “there is no mention that State of Karnataka has to obtain the consent of the other riparian States namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala and UT [Union Territory] of Puducherry to construct any kind of structure across the river Cauvery.” To this effect, the Court had cited the relevant clause in the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.
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