TIRUCHY: Hitting out at Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam, the president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations, PR Pandian, said it would lead to the neighbouring state storing surplus Cauvery water that is usually released to Tamil Nadu, leaving the Delta region parched.

He urged the Union government to prevent Karnataka from constructing the dam and the Tamil Nadu government to initiate steps to build a dam at Rasimanal, claiming that even neighbouring state's farmers agree to the alternate proposal.

Pandian, who led the Vedaranyam-Rasimanal rally against the Mekedatu dam and demanded that the dam be built within Tamil Nadu to protect the state's rights, reached Tiruchy via Thanjavur on Monday. Farmers gave a rousing reception to the rally at Thanjavur and Tiruchy.

Speaking to reporters, Pandian said the groundwater level across the Delta region had declined and the current storage in Mettur was inadequate for irrigation, leaving farmers facing a looming crisis. He said that despite the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee ordering Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka had failed to comply and stopped releasing water to Mettur a couple of days ago.

“While the Cauvery Delta farmers have faith in the judiciary, the adamancy of Karnataka leads the Delta into a parched land. Farmers are left without livelihood, and the state government should influence the Union government to stop Karnataka from constructing the Mekedatu dam and initiate steps to build a dam at Rasimanal instead,” Pandian said.

He claimed that the Karnataka government planned to prevent the surplus water usually discharged to Tamil Nadu from reaching the State by constructing the Mekedatu dam.

“Even the Karnataka farmers too are against the Mekedatu dam and expressed their support for our rally, and they would take part during the completion of the rally at Rasimanal,” he said.

Pandian also appealed to political parties not to politicise the Cauvery issue. “It is the matter of our livelihood and the farmers from across the delta region have been fighting against the construction of Mekedatu dam unitedly,” he said.