Mekedatu Dam Project
Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a committee to submit a report on the violation of environmental norms in the construction of a dam on the Kaveri River in Mekedatu, Karnataka.
Key points
- NGT has given this instruction after taking self-cognizance on the basis of a media report. Karnataka has submitted a proposal for construction of a dam on the Cauvery River to the ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’, while this proposal has been postponed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority 2 times in the past.
- ‘Mekedatu’ is a deep valley situated at the confluence of ‘Kaveri’ and its tributary ‘Arkavati’ river. In this project, a dam is proposed to be constructed by the Government of Karnataka on the Kaveri River near Mekedatu.
- The objective of this project is to supply drinking water for the city Bangalore and to use water for a hydropower station. The total cost of this project will be around Rs 9,000
- It may be noted that Mekedatu dam is located in the middle of the Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary. Environmental experts and critics are of the view that 63 percent of the forest area of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary will be submerged due to this project, which will cause huge damage to biodiversity.
- Apart from this, the state of Tamil Nadu has also expressed objection to this project, as it will affect the flow of Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu.
Source – The Hindu
