Bengaluru, 6 March

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the government will push ahead with major irrigation and drinking water projects, including the long-pending Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project.

He described the Supreme Court’s dismissal of petitions filed by Tamil Nadu against the Mekedatu project as a “significant legal victory” for Karnataka. The State will soon submit a revised Detailed Project Report along with a proposal for forest clearance to the Union government.

Tamil Nadu has opposed the project, citing concerns about downstream water availability in the Cauvery River.

Zero progress on the Navali reservoir

Navali reservoir remains on paper. The proposed reservoir in Koppal was once again mentioned in the Budget, but there was nothing more.

A reservoir is also being discussed with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through the Tungabhadra Board to address storage loss due to silt accumulation in theTungabhadra Dam. The State will replace 33 dilapidated dam gates before the monsoon.

He criticised delays in forest clearance for the Kalasa-Bandura Project under the Mahadayi Basin.

Progress in irrigation schemes

Under the Yettinahole Comprehensive Drinking Water Project, the first phase of lift irrigation works has been commissioned, while the remaining 18.73 km canal works in the second phase are expected to be completed soon. A 1.2 TMC balancing reservoir will be constructed near Vaderahalli in Koratagere taluk.

On the Upper Bhadra Project, Siddaramaiah said a long-standing land dispute has been resolved, enabling the completion of the 135km Chitradurga branch canal and feeder works by 2027. The project is expected to fill 157 tanks. Although it has national importance status, the Centre has not released funds, he said, noting the state has already spent Rs 11,343 crore.

Under the Upper Krishna Project, compensation has been fixed at Rs 30 lakh per acre for dry land and Rs 40 lakh per acre for wet land due to the raising of the Almatti Dam height.

New schemes

New initiatives include the Uduthore Halla project in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, costing Rs 490 crore, which will provide drinking water and irrigate 12,000 acres. The government has also given in-principle approval for a 0.67 TMC reservoir at Babanagar in Vijayapura district under the Tubachi-Babaleshwara scheme.

The state plans to undertake 75 irrigation works worth Rs 8,045 crore across the Krishna Basin, Cauvery Basin and Godavari Basin.

In the minor irrigation sector, the government announced the third phase of the Hebbala-Nagawara Valley tank-filling scheme costing Rs 237 crore to fill 164 tanks, works in Hosakote taluk worth Rs 140 crore, and the second phase of the Vrushabhavathi Valley tank-filling scheme at Rs 650 crore.

Additionally, 112 minor irrigation projects, including lift irrigation works, check dams and tank rejuvenation, have been approved at Rs 1,793 crore for 2025–26.