Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project
May 26, 2026: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate intervention to stop Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project on the Cauvery river. In his letter, Vijay argued that the project violates the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award as well as the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment on river water sharing. He also expressed concern over the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission considering Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report despite objections raised by Tamil Nadu.
Vijay stated that the Cauvery basin had already been declared a deficit basin and that no additional storage projects beyond the approved allocations should be permitted. He warned that the proposed reservoir, with a storage capacity of 67.16 TMC near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, could directly affect water flow to Tamil Nadu and impact lakhs of farmers dependent on the river for irrigation and livelihood.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister also criticised recent remarks by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar regarding the proposed Bhoomi Puja for the project. Vijay alleged that Karnataka’s move violated both environmental laws and the legal framework governing Cauvery water sharing. Urging swift action, he requested the Centre to reject Karnataka’s DPR and prevent any new Cauvery-related projects from moving forward without the consent of all co-basin states.