Congress justifies Mekedatu drinking water project
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has defended the proposed Mekedatu drinking water project, arguing that it is necessary to address Bengaluru's water shortage. They claim the project will not violate legal obligations to Tamil Nadu and that environmental impacts can be mitigated.
Why it matters
The Mekedatu project is a major point of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, involving complex issues of water rights, environmental conservation, and interstate politics.
Justifying the proposed Mekedatu drinking water project, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has said that the Supreme Court has already settled the legal position and that the proposed reservoir does not alter Karnataka’s legal obligation to Tamil Nadu with respect to releasing water.
In response to actor Chethan Ahimsa’s letter to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in which he has raised environmental concerns, Congress vice-president S.A. Hussain said that Bengaluru’s drinking water shortfall of 500 million litres daily is documented and not speculative. “Every large infrastructure project carries an environmental cost. The question before policy makers is not whether there is any impact but whether that impact is proportionate to the public benefit and can be responsibly mitigated. Roughly about 5,000 hectares of forest land is going to be submerged.”
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