Centre: Revised DPR for Mekedatu project not yet submitted; Karnataka asked to comply with CWDT norms

New Delhi: The Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhury, on Monday told the Rajya Sabha that the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir cum Drinking Water Project in Karnataka has not yet been received by the Central Water Commission (CWC). The Minister was responding to a question raised by Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan.

In his written reply, Choudhury stated that the DPR submitted by Karnataka in 2019 was returned to the project authority with a request to submit a revised version in compliance with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) Award and the extant guidelines of the Central Water Commission. “The revised DPR has not yet been received by the CWC,” the Minister said.

The Minister also explained the process of appraisal for water resource projects in the Cauvery basin. He noted that the techno-economic appraisal of such DPRs received from state governments is carried out by the CWC in accordance with the extant guidelines, the CWDT Award, and the judgment of the Supreme Court dated 16 February 2018.

The Mekedatu project, proposed across the river Cauvery in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district, aims to store water for drinking water supply to Bengaluru and also generate hydroelectric power. The project has been a matter of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with the latter opposing it on the grounds that it would affect the downstream flow and violate the Cauvery water-sharing agreement.

In 2018, the Supreme Court had upheld the CWDT’s award, which allocated 419.6 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water to Tamil Nadu, 270 tmcft to Karnataka, 30 tmcft to Kerala, and 7 tmcft to Puducherry. The apex court had also directed the Central government to frame a scheme for the implementation of the Cauvery Water Management Board.

Against this backdrop, the Karnataka government submitted a DPR for Mekedatu in 2019. The CWC, which is the technical apex body for water resources projects, sought a revised DPR to ensure that the project conforms to the CWDT Award and the Supreme Court’s directives. The delay in submission of the revised DPR has effectively stalled the project’s approval process.

MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has repeatedly raised objections to the project, asserting that it is an attempt to store water illegally. In contrast, Karnataka has argued that the project is within its legal rights and is essential to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru’s growing population.

The Minister’s reply in Parliament is significant because it confirms that the central government is yet to receive a formal revised proposal from Karnataka. It also underscores the procedural hurdles that any project in the Cauvery basin must clear, given the sensitivity of inter-state river disputes.

While the government of Karnataka has not publicly commented on the status of the revised DPR, sources indicate that the state is working on aligning the project parameters with the observations made by the CWC. The project’s future remains uncertain, pending the submission and approval of the revised DPR.

The Cauvery Water Management Authority, which was constituted in 2018, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the final award of the Tribunal and the Supreme Court’s judgment. However, any new storage project in the basin needs to be vetted by the CWC before it can be cleared.

The response by Minister Choudhury provides clarity on the matter but does not specify any timeline for the submission or consideration of the revised DPR. As the dispute continues, both states await a resolution that balances developmental needs with the existing legal framework.