CHENNAI: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday slammed the TVK-led government for allegedly adopting a "passive stance" towards the Karnataka government’s "aggressive efforts" to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu.
The Cauvery River serves as the primary drinking water source for the people of 20 districts in Tamil Nadu and is the vital lifeline for agriculture across ten districts, including the Delta region, Palaniswami said in a release from his party's headquarters.
"Following legal struggles, the continuous initiatives taken by the Jayalalithaa government under my leadership culminated in the Supreme Court delivering its final verdict on February 16, 2018", he said, adding "subsequently, on June 1, 2018, the Central Government notified the implementation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) in the central gazette."
Palaniswami clarified that the designated powers of these regulatory bodies are explicitly restricted to storing, distributing, regulating, and controlling Cauvery water, alongside supervising dam operations and monitoring water release at the Biligundlu gauging station on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. He stressed that these bodies possess no authority beyond these mandates.
Pointing out that DK Shivakumar, who assumed office as chief minister, has been "aggressively pushing" for the Mekedatu dam, Palaniswami said that the Karnataka government had prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and allocated thousands of crores of rupees for the project.
"Though the Central Government previously returned the project report pointing out technical discrepancies, news reports now indicate that the Karnataka chief minister met the Honorable Prime Minister on June 12, 2026, submitting a revised report to address those deficiencies and secure environmental clearance," Palaniswami said.
Citing the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final verdict in 2007, the AIADMK leader reiterated that no state has the right to block or divert the natural flow of the Cauvery River. Any construction requires the explicit consent of lower riparian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
Palaniswami strictly urged the Tamil Nadu government to closely monitor Karnataka's move, secure Tamil Nadu’s rightful share of water, and protect the livelihoods of farmers of the state by blocking the Mekedatu project without giving an inch of leeway.
Furthermore, he criticised the state administration for failing to exert sufficient pressure during the 51st CWMA meeting held last month in Delhi to secure the water shares mandated for April, May, and June. "Due to this failure, the Mettur dam could not be opened on its traditional date of June 12 this year for Kuruvai cultivation in the Delta districts".
"As an old saying goes, 'a wrong turn at the start leads to total failure'. Right at the inception of its governance, the TVK administration has pushed the Delta farmers into disappointment and distress by failing to urge the Centre, failing to pursue legal action, and failing to demand the state's rightful water from the Karnataka Congress government," Palaniswami remarked.
The AIADMK leader also said that the TVK leader, who accommodated Congress members into the Tamil Nadu cabinet to use that leverage to pressure the Karnataka Congress government, halt the Mekedatu dam construction, and secure Tamil Nadu's legitimate share of Cauvery water.