CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to approve Karnataka's plan to build a dam across the Cauvery River at Mekedatu, after Union government officials visited the proposed project site.

In a letter to Modi, Vijay said the visit by Union government officials had raised concerns among farmers in Tamil Nadu, who were already struggling during the current deficit water year because Karnataka had failed to release Tamil Nadu's due share of Cauvery water.

Recalling the legal battles successive Tamil Nadu governments fought against the proposed Mekedatu dam, Vijay said the matter still stands before the Supreme Court.

He stressed that the rights of lower riparian States such as Tamil Nadu, particularly regarding the quantum of water and the regulated monthly release schedule, must be fully protected.

"At this juncture, it would be inappropriate for the Union government to consider or examine the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the proposed project," he said.

Seeking the Prime Minister's intervention, Vijay urged him to direct Union government departments, including the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to refrain from conducting site inspections, technical evaluations or granting statutory clearances without the consent of the lower riparian States.

He also appealed to Modi to advise the Karnataka government against proceeding with the project without the consent of the co-basin states.