Dam over troubled waters: Why the Mekedatu water project continues to divide Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
About 100 km away from the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru, the Cauvery sashays down the picturesque rocky terrain of Mekedatu. Broadly meant in Kannada
About 100 km away from the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru, the Cauvery sashays down the picturesque rocky terrain of Mekedatu. Broadly meant in Kannada as goat’s leap, Mekedatu, part of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, is hardly three km downstream of the point of confluence of the Arkavathy and the Cauvery river, called Sangama. The sanctuary is home to grizzled giant squirrel, considered endemic to Sri Lanka and south India and classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as near threatened. Endangered fish species, Deccan Mahsheer, and vulnerable species such as oriental small clawed otter are among those which have found a haven in the Cauvery. The popular tourist spot has also been at the centre of intense and heated discussion between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the two southern States through which the Cauvery flows mostly. Of late, the former has been pursuing, with renewed interest, the project of building a reservoir to cater to the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru, as it has allocated ₹1,000 crore in this year’s Budget. The Karnataka Cabinet on Monday (May 30) approved the resolution of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council that urged the Centre to provide clearance to the Mekedatu project. The Cabinet was also said to have approved the resolution passed by both the Houses that the DPR for Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery-Vaiagai-Gundar project taken up by Tamil Nadu should not be cleared till the decision on the distribution of the rightful share of all the basin states were established. Bengaluru’s expectations “I have not shifted from my place - Yelahanka - because my area is covered under the Cauvery water supply scheme, even though it is not part of what is called the core city,” says B. Kumar, a middle-aged senior IT professional. Invariably, all residents of the metropolis, including those in added or extended areas, want the Cauvery water, because the quality of groundwater is not that good. This creates the need for a project such as Mekedatu, he feels. As the city is still expanding and able to draw more and more IT companies, the demand for clean water does not seem to end. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board supplies 1,450 million litres a day (MLD), using the Cauvery as the source, as per the information available on its website. Another project, envisaging the supply of 775 MLD, is under way. But, it looks like even this project may not quench the thirst of burgeoning Bengaluru. As per an estimate, the population of Bengaluru, which is now 13 million, is expected to touch the 20-million mark by 2031, when the city will need 4,000 MLD. It is not just the IT professionals but several villagers in and around Mekedatu are also eagerly looking forward to the proposed reservoir project. ‘Our water, our right’ Heeramma, a homemaker of Maralebekuppe village, about 20 km from Mekedatu, says her village gets water supply for one to two hours a day. Sitting beside a poster with the slogan “Namma Neeru Namma Hakku” (Our water, Our right), she believes that if the project fructifies, this will benefit villages like hers, through which the pipelines will have to be laid for Bengaluru. The slogan was the theme of the 150-km-long march of the Congress, the principal Opposition party, in support of the Mekedatu project. Like Heeramma, Raju, a vegetable vendor, and two other senior citizens, who are all residents of Aralalu village, near Kanakapura town, are so excited about the project that they tend to link the laying of water distribution lines in their place a few weeks ago to it, even though they are not oblivious to the fact that the Mekedatu project still remains on paper. At present, the needs of Heerammas and Rajus, who live in villages along the Kanakapura-Mekedatu road, are met largely through groundwater. In addition, reverse osmosis plants have been put up en route, providing 25 litres of treated water at ₹5. Besides addressing the drinking water problem, the project, people in the region hope, will solve several other problems.
The BriefWire