CHENNAI: Farmers’ associations across Tamil Nadu have expressed deep concern over the Supreme Court’s rejection of the State government’s plea against Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam, warning that its construction would devastate the Cauvery Delta and cripple irrigation-dependent livelihoods.
Some warmers who arrived at a grievance redressal meeting held in Tiruchy, prostrated before the District Revenue Officer (DRO) and other administrators, urging them to make every effort to stop Karnataka from building a new dam.
Leaders of multiple organisations said the apex court’s November 13 order had left Delta farmers dejected.
They accused Karnataka of violating the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s award and cautioned that storing water at Mekedatu would drastically reduce inflows to Tamil Nadu.
Ayilai Siva Suriyan, state committee member of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the DMK's ally, the CPI, said Karnataka had already built dams across the Kabini, Hemavathi, and other tributaries, enabling it to expand its irrigated acreage from 11.20 lakh acres to 21.71 lakh acres.
Another dam at Mekedatu, he warned, would “turn the Delta into a desert.” He urged the Tamil Nadu government to return to court with strong legal arguments.
Echoing the concern, P Viswanathan, president of the Tamil Nadu River and Aayacutdars Association, said kuruvai, samba and thalady cultivators depend entirely on Cauvery. He accused Karnataka of being adamant about restricting water flow to Tamil Nadu and called on the State to safeguard its multi-season cultivation pattern through renewed legal action.
MP Chinnadurai of the Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam said farmers across the State were demoralised by the Supreme Court’s decision. He stressed that Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan must treat the issue with utmost seriousness, noting that it affects farmers’ survival and transcends party politics.
He also alleged that both the Union government and the judiciary appeared to be favouring Karnataka, requiring Tamil Nadu to act “carefully and strategically.”
The meeting saw tense moments when a group of farmers, led by Desiya Thennindiya Nadhigal Inaippu Sangam president P Ayyakannu, prostrated before the district revenue officer, accusing both the State and Union governments of failing to address their long-standing demands.