Chennai, 19 June

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday adopted a unanimous resolution against Karnataka's move to construct a dam across the river Cauvery at Mekedatu, expressing support for all measures undertaken by the state government on the issue.

Chief Minster C Joseph Vijay piloted the government resolution over the nearly 13-year-long dispute with the neighbouring state, with the members of the opposition, including Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, backing the government.

The Congress too supported the ruling TVK in the Assembly, taking a contradictory stand opposing the Karnataka Congress government, which is keen on pursuing the balancing reservoir project.

Udhayanidhi emphasised that the Mekedatu dam issue should be treated as a new dispute and sought the inclusion of an amendment to the current resolution to urge the Union government to set up a new tribunal under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.

He called for concerted efforts by all political parties in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and Parliament to form a delegation and meet the Central government authorities to demonstrate the state's unity on opposing the dam.

"The DMK's firm stand is that no dam should be constructed at Mekedatu. We must never allow Tamil Nadu's rights to be compromised. The party supports all legal measures taken to prevent the construction of the dam in Karnataka. Let's remain united to stop the project," Udhayanidhi said while speaking on the resolution.

Extending the DMK's full support to the chief minister on the issue, the LoP said farmers were facing hardship as water was not released from Mettur day. The state government should take necessary steps to secure its rightful share of Cauvery water in the upcoming meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority, he stressed.

Highlighting the measures taken by the previous AIADMK regime to safeguard Tamil Nadu's rights over Cauvery river water, Palaniswami recalled the proactive measures taken by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and said his party would support all legal avenues to prevent the project that violated the Cauvery WaterDispute Tribunal's final order.

The resolution moved by Vijay said that the House records its "strong objection to the unilateral attempt of the Government of Karnataka to construct a dam across the Cauvery River at Mekedatu, without respecting the Final Award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal dated 5.2.2007 and the Judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court dated 16.2.2018."

It said Karnataka acted without obtaining the concurrence of the concerned basin states, and had also not secured any approval from the Centre. Such an action is "not at all acceptable."

"This August House urges the Union Government not to grant any form of approval, including technical and environmental clearances, to the Mekedatu Dam Project proposed by the Government of Karnataka. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Hon'ble Supreme Court have observed that the Cauvery Basin is a deficit basin and that the total available water in the basin has already been apportioned among the basin states."

"Therefore, no new project can be undertaken in the Cauvery Basin, nor can any additional quantity of water be utilized. The Cauvery issue is a highly sensitive matter between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Therefore, this August House urges the Union Government to advise the Government of Karnataka not to undertake the construction of a dam or any new water storage project at Mekedatu or at any other location in the Cauvery Basin without the concurrence of the other basin states and without the approval of the Centre," it added.

The House further urged the Central Water Commission not to examine, process, or grant approval to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka regarding the project.

"This August House unanimously expresses its support for all measures undertaken by the Government of Tamil Nadu to prevent this attempt by the Government of Karnataka so as to safeguard the interests of the farmers of Tamil Nadu," the resolution read.

Tamil Nadu has been opposed to Karnataka's move to construct the balancing reservoir at Mekedatu in that state, claiming it would affect its interests. The project proposes to meet the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru, besides hydel power generation.

Karnataka, the upper riparian State, has been insisting that the dam will not harm Tamil Nadu's interests.

In the past, four Chief Ministers have ensured the unanimous passage of the TN Assembly resolution against the construction of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir. It was brought in December 2014 by the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK government, in March 2015 by her successor O Panneerselvam, and by the Palaniswami-led AIADMK government in December 2018, and in March 2022, then Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin had passed the resolution on the same subject.

The present resolution, which is the fifth, was piloted today by Vijay, who heads the TVK. It strongly objected to the unilateral attempt by Karnataka to build the balancing reservoir across the Cauvery and requested the Centre to deny all technical and environmental clearances.

This row is part of the decades-old Cauvery River water sharing dispute between the two states.