PMK Chief Urges Rahul Gandhi to Oppose Karnataka's Mekedatu Dam Project
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday appealed to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to intervene against the proposed Mekedatu dam project in Karnataka, drawing parallels with Gandhi's earlier opposition to the Nicobar islands development project.
Speaking at the start of a four-day awareness walkathon from Biligundulu in Krishnagiri district to Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai, Dr. Ramadoss said the Mekedatu project would submerge over 12,500 acres of forests and biodiversity, causing an ecological disaster similar to what Gandhi had highlighted in the case of the Galathea Bay project in the Nicobar islands.
“We are fully aligned with the ecological sentiments of Mr. Gandhi regarding the proposed destruction of the primitive forests of Nicobar islands. Likewise, we ask him to intervene in Mekedatu,” Dr. Ramadoss said.
The proposed barrage across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu, if constructed, would hold 70 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water. Dr. Ramadoss argued that this would lead to desertification of the Cauvery delta districts and affect drinking water and groundwater levels in over 25 districts of Tamil Nadu, which depend on the river.
“The Mettur dam has not been opened on June 1 as it should be, because there is no water,” he said, pointing to the exposed rocky surface of the reservoir at Biligundulu, where the Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu.
Dr. Ramadoss dismissed Karnataka's argument that the reservoir is needed for Bengaluru's drinking water needs, noting that the city requires only 5 to 10 tmc of water, not the 70 tmc the barrage would store. He said the project would increase Karnataka's total storage capacity in the Cauvery basin to 214.57 tmc, leaving no water for Tamil Nadu.
The PMK leader said over 5 crore people in Tamil Nadu depend on the Cauvery for agriculture and drinking water. The barrage would affect 16 lakh acres of farmland across 11 districts, including Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, and Erode. He also criticised the Tamil Nadu government's resolution opposing the project for mentioning a 'Mekedatu tribunal', arguing that accepting such a tribunal would legitimise the project.
Dr. Ramadoss called on the youth to mobilise against the project, drawing inspiration from the Jallikattu protests. He was accompanied by farmers' associations, local MLA Sowmiya Anbumani, and PMK supporters.
