The Tamil Nadu Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution opposing Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam project across the Cauvery River, signalling rare political unity on one of the state’s most sensitive water issues. The resolution urges the Centre not to grant any technical, environmental or administrative clearances for the project.
Moving the resolution in the Assembly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay said the proposed reservoir would adversely affect the state’s rights over Cauvery waters and could threaten the interests of farmers and drinking water users downstream. The government argued that the project cannot proceed without the consent of all basin states and necessary approvals from the Union government.
The Mekedatu project, proposed by Karnataka at an estimated cost of around ₹9,000 crore, aims to build a balancing reservoir on the Cauvery River to improve water storage and supply. However, Tamil Nadu has consistently maintained that any new project in the Cauvery basin could impact its allocated share of river water under existing legal arrangements.
The resolution received support from both ruling and opposition parties, including the DMK, AIADMK, Congress and other regional parties. Leaders across the political spectrum stressed that protecting Tamil Nadu’s water rights should remain above party politics.
The Assembly also called on the Central Water Commission not to process Karnataka’s detailed project report and urged the Union government to reject any future requests related to the dam. State leaders argued that the Cauvery basin is already water-stressed and that additional projects could create uncertainty for millions of people dependent on the river.
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