Recent newspaper reports have expressed fears that the government of Karnataka has started constructing a dam downstream of River Cauvery at Mekedatu in Karnataka without permission from the Union government’s Department of Environment and Forests. India’s National Green Tribunal has taken suo moto cognisance of the report. The River Cauvery Rights Retrieving Committee has taken up the matter with the Tamil Nadu government. WSN reports.

AS THE SOUTHERN BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL has taken up suo moto investigation into a newspaper claim that the Karnataka government has started building Mekedatu dam on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka borders for the Cauvery waters and even constituted a committee to look into the alleged violation of norms, the coordinator of the River Cauvery Rights Retrieving Committee -Maniyarasan has questioned the Water Resources department of Tamil Nadu for its lack of vigilance in the matter.

Maniyarasan has expressed fears that “Karnataka has planned construction of the dam with an ill intention of preventing the water that Tamil Nadu would receive in Mettur dam during the surplus rain period in Karnataka. In the period of surplus rainwater, super-flowing Karnataka’s tanks only will come to Tamil Nadu’s Mettur dam.”

“Karnataka is facing huge pandemic conditions. On the sly, the Karnataka government is not willing to let the surplus flood water to Tamil Nadu, which shows its sinister intentions.” 

Speaking to the World Sikh News, veteran Tamil nationalist said, “Since 2018, the Cauvery River Rights Retrieval Committee has been opposing the Mekedatu dam project. The Tamil Nadu government did file a case in the Supreme Court in November 2018 to stay the construction activities to build a dam across River Cauvery, but has not followed it up.”

The intentions of the government in building the Mekedatu dam have been conveyed by the Karnataka government in its letter to the Forests department of the government of India, which has been placed here.

“The case is still pending in the Supreme Court and the Tamil Nadu government must take immediate action to revive the case. It should immediately constitute a panel of experts and prepare a report about the purported activities underway to construct the dam at Mekedatu.”

The National Green Tribunal, taking up the case suo moto, has formed a committee to inspect and uncover the truth. Justice K Ramakrishnan and expert member K Satyagopal issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Department of Water Resources, Central Water Commission, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu government. 

The NGT bench has mentioned, “The committee is directed to go into the question as to whether any construction activity as alleged in the newspaper report has been started without obtaining necessary clearance from the Forest Department as well as from the MoEF under the Forest Conservation Act as well as the EIA Notification, 2006.”

“If there is any construction made and if any damage has been caused to the environment, they are directed to assess the damage caused to the environment and environment.” 

Reportedly, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister, S. Duraimurugan told the media, “Tamil Nadu will never allow the construction of Mekedatu dam planned by the Karnataka government across the Cauvery river.”  Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the Dam building project under riparian rights for the population in the Cauvery basin. It must now take steps for revival of the case in the Supreme Court of India.”

The River Cauvery Rights Retrieving Committee chief Maniyarasan hoped that the National Green Tribunal will take the case to its logical conclusion.