Edappadi K. Palaniswami: Karnataka’s sole objective is to turn Tamil Nadu into a desert through the Mekedatu project.

Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has claimed that the sole objective of the Congress government in neighboring Karnataka is to turn Tamil Nadu into a desert by implementing the Mekedatu dam project. He said the Karnataka government is proceeding with its project to build a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu, ignoring the adverse impact on Tamil Nadu, and blamed the state’s ruling DMK for this “unfortunate situation.” In a post on ‘X’, Palaniswami said, “The DMK government led by Chief Minister M K Stalin did not present strong arguments on behalf of Tamil Nadu through lawyers before the Cauvery Management Authority and the Supreme Court on the issue of the livelihood of the people of Tamil Nadu, and acted half-heartedly.”
His strong reaction came after the Karnataka government formed an expert team to expedite work on the Mekedatu dam project following a Supreme Court order. In the post on December 12, the AIADMK General Secretary claimed that whenever the DMK came to power, it surrendered Tamil Nadu’s rights over Cauvery river water to Karnataka. He said, “This betrayal by the DMK cannot be forgiven,” and urged the Chief Minister to take immediate legal action to protect Tamil Nadu’s rights over the Cauvery. Targeting the Karnataka government, he said, “The sole objective of the Congress government is to turn Tamil Nadu into a desert.”
On December 12, State Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said that the Tamil Nadu government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and also submitted a detailed petition before the CWC stating that the construction of the Mekedatu dam in Karnataka would be detrimental to its interests. He had said in a statement that the detailed petition was submitted to the Central Water Commission (CWC) on December 9, explaining how the Mekedatu reservoir project would be detrimental to Tamil Nadu and the Supreme Court’s order. This project involves the construction of a balancing reservoir on the Cauvery River at Mekedatu in Karnataka, with the dual objectives of meeting Bengaluru’s drinking water needs and generating hydroelectric power.