Mekedatu Dam Project

Mekedatu Dam Project Latest News

A fresh political and legal dispute has emerged over the proposed Mekedatu dam project, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene and prevent Karnataka from proceeding with the project.

About Mekedatu Dam Project

• It is a multi-purpose (drinking water and power) project involving the construction of a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in the Ramanagara district, Karnataka. 
• It is about 90 km away from Bengaluru and 4 km ahead of the border with Tamil Nadu.
• The project is proposed at the confluence of the Cauvery River with its tributary Arkavathi.
• The plan involves building a 99-metre-high, 735-metre-long concrete gravity dam, an underground powerhouse, and a water conductor system.
• While the dam will have a capacity of holding about 66 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water, it would generate 400 MW of hydroelectricity once operational. 
• Once completed, it is expected to supply over 4 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water to Bengaluru city for drinking purposes.
• Issue:
  • Tamil Nadu, the lower riparian state, has been opposing the project, raising apprehensions that the state would be affected if the project takes shape. 
  • Tamil Nadu says, Mekedatu area represents the last free point in Karnataka from where Cauvery water flows unrestricted into Tamil Nadu, and the Mekedatu dam project is an attempt by Karnataka to block this free flow of water.

Source: TH

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