GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2105
ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026
MEKEDATU DAM PROJECT
2105. KM. SUDHA R:
Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is true that building any new dam across Cauvery River upstream, particularly in Karnataka
would adversely impact...
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2105 ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026 MEKEDATU DAM PROJECT
2105. KM. SUDHA R:
Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is true that building any new dam across Cauvery River upstream, particularly in Karnataka would adversely impact farming operations and hit the livelihoods of farmers in Cauvery Delta districts particularly in Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha Constituency and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Union Government has given its in-principle nod to build a new dam by name ‘Mekedatu’ across the River Cauvery and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) whether the Union Government has provided environmental clearance for Mekedatu dam project and if so, the details and current status thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)
(a) to (c) In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6A of ISWRD Act, 1956 the Central Government notified vide notification number S.O. 2236(E) dated 01,June, 2018 the Cauvery Water Management Scheme, inter alia, constituting the Cauvery Water Management Authority(CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee(CWRC) to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide its order, dated 16, February 2018.
Further, Central Water Commission (CWC) has recently published the guidelines for "Appraisal of Water Resources Projects in the Cauvery Basin" to streamline the process of approval of Water Resources Projects falling under Cauvery Basin for the state of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry ensuring conformity or otherwise of the proposed water utilization in the project vis-à-vis the CWDT Award (as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court).
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been received in Central Water Commission (CWC) from Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) for appraisal.
The project authority is required to take all statutory approvals including environmental clearance from concerned departments before implementation of the project. *****