Why in News ?
The Karnataka government is likely to take a delegation, headed by Chief Minister to bring pressure on the Centre to approve the construction of the Mekedatu. Mekedatu project Karnataka Seeks Nod for balancing reservoir that has been proposed to store water for drinking purposes.
About Mekedatu
- It is a deep gorge situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and its tributary Arkavathi.
- It is the midst of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
About the Mekedatu Project
- The Rs. 9,000 crore project, approved by the State government in 2017, has received approval from the Union Water Resources Ministry for the detailed project report and is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF).
- 5,051 hectares of forests would be submerged and they included 3,181 hectares in the sanctuary and 1,870 hectares in the reserve forest.
- The approval from MOEF is crucial since 63% of the forest area that will be submerged is in the sanctuary.
- Need for the project?
- Around 400 megawatts (MW) of power is proposed to be generated through the project.
- Water could be drawn from the reservoir to partially meet the needs of Bengaluru
What is the Dispute ?
- Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court against the project.
- Why Tamil Nadu is against the project ?
- Karnataka had not sought prior permission for the project.
- Project would affect the flow of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
- decisions of the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Tribunal are violated due to the construction of the reservoir.
- Supreme Court View
- Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) and the SC : No state can claim exclusive ownership or assert rights to deprive other states of the waters of inter-state rivers.
- Existing storage facilities available in the Cauvery basin were adequate for storing and distributing water.
- Since the reservoir is not just for drinking water alone, but to increase the extent of irrigation which is in clear violation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Award.
- 4.75 tmcft of water could be drawn from the reservoir to partially meet the needs of Bengaluru and that it would not affect the flow of water to Tamil Nadu.
About the River – Kaveri/Cauvery
- Indian river flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- The river originates in Western Ghats and flows for about 800 km before its outfall into the Bay of Bengal.
- The Kaveri is considered to be one of the seven holy rivers of India.
- The river basin covers three states and 1 Union Territory
- Karnataka, 34,273 square kilometres
- Tamil Nadu, 43,868 square kilometres
- Kerala, 2,866 square kilometres
- Puducherry, 148 square kilometres
- Major Tributaries
- Harangi River
- Hemavati River
- Lakshmana Tirtha
- Amaravathi River
- Bhavani River
- Kabini River
- Noyyal River
- Sharing of disputed river water as per an order by the Indian Supreme Court
- Karnataka will get 284.75 tmc ft,
- Tamil Nadu will get 404.25 tmc ft,
- Kerala will get 30 tmc ft and
- Puducherry will get 7 tmc ft,
- Besides about 10 tmc ft will be reserved for Environmental Protection and 4 tmc ft will be reserved for Inevitable Wastage into the Sea.
- Supreme Court’s direction, the Centre constituted a Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA)
- It will monitor water management on a day-to-day basis, including the water level and inflow and outflow.
Source : The Hindu
Topic
GS II : Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Current Affairs Compilation : 15 September 2020