Mekedatu Dam: Vijay Asks Modi to Halt Union Site Inspection

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to a reported site inspection by Union government officials at Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam, ThePrint reported on 8 November. Vijay asked that no further administrative or technical action follow the visit and that no clearance be given without the consent of the other Cauvery basin states.

Farmers’ Worry Over Water Releases

Vijay wrote that Cauvery delta farmers are in “a state of perpetual anxiety” and see the visit as a sign of “tacit movement” on the project. He called consideration of the detailed project report and unilateral site inspections at this stage “highly inappropriate”. He said 2026-27 is a deficit water year and that Karnataka has not ensured Tamil Nadu’s share even on a pro-rata basis.

The letter asks the Prime Minister to direct the Jal Shakti and Environment ministries to hold off on inspections, technical evaluations and clearances, and to advise Karnataka not to proceed without co-basin consent. The report does not name the Union body that carried out or planned the visit.

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Cases and Resolutions Already Filed

Mekedatu is a proposed 67.16 TMC reservoir just upstream of the Tamil Nadu border, meant mainly for Bengaluru’s drinking water and hydropower. Tamil Nadu says it could change the quantity and timing of releases downstream. The letter lists what the state has done so far: an application before the National Green Tribunal on 27 May, a unanimous Assembly resolution on 19 June against any clearance, and a Supreme Court writ petition filed on 3 August against the Jal Shakti Ministry’s December 2025 guidelines for projects in the basin. That petition is pending. Vijay also cited an earlier letter of 28 July, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award and the Supreme Court’s 16 February 2018 judgment as the standards any approval must meet.

Water stress in the south is covered in IPB’s report on reservoirs running 31% short after the monsoon, and more state coverage is on the Tamil Nadu tag page.

Union Reply Not Yet Reported

The ThePrint report does not carry a response from the Prime Minister’s Office or the Jal Shakti Ministry, and it gives no date for any decision on the project report. The Supreme Court petition on the Jal Shakti guidelines is still pending.

Source: Based on reporting by ThePrint, which describes the Tamil Nadu chief minister’s letter.

Image: X/@CMOTamilnadu.