Chennai: Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan has said that the state government will not allow the controversial Mekedatu dam project proposed by Karnataka across Cauvery river near the Tamil Nadu border. Duraimurugan was speaking to the media at the international airport in Meenambakkam after returning from an official visit to Denmark.
“The Tamil Nadu government will not allow the construction of a dam in Mekedatu. Legally it cannot be built. For me it is a political stunt by Karnataka. They cannot build a dam in Mekedatu,” the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister said while referring to the Karnataka government's proposal to build the Mekedatu dam across Cauvery.
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The Karnataka government has proposed to build the dam, with a proposed capacity of 48 thousand million cubic feet at an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 crore. The dam aims to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and replenish the regional groundwater table. However Tamil Nadu has objected to the construction while citing prohibitory orders by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) and the Supreme Court.
Duraimurugan said that he will visit Delhi and meet the officials of the Cauvery Management Board to resolve the matter. Over his experience of the Denmark trip, Duraimurugan said that Denmark is a pioneer country in the world in terms of how to conserve water in the water resources sector. He said that the Tamil Nadu government will replicate the Denmark model to improve the condition of rivers in Chennai.
“We discussed the water resources of our state at length with the Minister of Water Resources of Denmark, who listened patiently. They are going to send Danish officials to Tamil Nadu within a week,” he said.
