Adopt resolution against Mekedatu in gram sabhas: PMK president Anbumani

CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday urged people across the State to pass resolutions against the proposed Mekedatu dam project during the gram sabha meetings to be held on August 15.

In a statement, Anbumani alleged that the Karnataka government was proceeding with preparatory works for the project despite strong opposition from Tamil Nadu. He also criticised the Karnataka government for allegedly encouraging protests against Tamil Nadu over the issue, saying such activities could affect relations between the two states.

Anbumani said Karnataka's claim that the Mekedatu project was required to meet Bengaluru's drinking water needs was not justified. He pointed out that the Thippagondanahalli reservoir, located around 35 km from Bengaluru, currently has 2.2 TMC of water storage and a maximum capacity of 3.4 TMC, with pipeline infrastructure already in place to transport water to the city.

He claimed the Mekedatu project, if implemented, would allow Karnataka to store 184.57 TMC of water, including the capacity of existing reservoirs, and could adversely affect water availability to Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta districts.

The PMK leader also raised environmental concerns, stating that around 12,500 acres of forest land could be submerged and that wildlife habitats would be affected.

Urging the Tamil Nadu government to intensify its legal and political opposition, Anbumani called upon PMK cadres to participate in the August 15 gram sabhas and seek resolutions demanding that the Centre reject Karnataka's revised detailed project report and withdraw the permission granted to prepare the DPR.