Mekedatu reservoir will benefit TN more than Karnataka: HD Kumaraswamy

Hassan: Allaying Tamil Nadu’s fears over the construction of the Mekedatu reservoir across river Cauvery in Ramanagar district, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday assured that it would not harm the flow of water to it and in fact benefit both states.

“Mekedatu will prove to be more beneficial to Tamil Nadu than Karnataka, “ he told reporters here. Going by the orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Karnataka is expected to release 172 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu from the river, but this year as much as 300 tmc ft of water flowed to it owing to the heavy rainfall, he observed. “Mekedatu will only help store the excess water, which currently flows into the Bay of Bengal via Tamil Nadu,” he explained.

Offering to hold talks with his Tamil Nadu counterpart on the project , he said all issues concerning it could be resolved through discussion.“Waging a legal battle is not the solution always for all issues,” he contended.

While Mr Kumaraswamy accused state BJP chief, B.S. Yeddyurappa of trying to gain political mileage from the issue , he thanked the Union government for its in-principle approval for the project with the rider that the state prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and submit it for its approval.

The Mekedatu project, first proposed in 2013, has been hanging fire due to Tamil Nadu’s objections to it. Once it is commissioned, the state can look forward to receiving an additional 66 tmc ft of water and producing another 400 megawatts of power for its needs.