Chennai: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday urged the Tamil Nadu government and the political parties in the state not to block the construction of the Mekedatu dam as it would only help save water for both the states whereas TN was now wasting huge amount of water into the sea. “Do not make this a prestige issue…we are both brothers”, he pleaded.
Speaking to reporters at the airport here on his arrival from Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are not India and Pakistan, so they must halt continuing this long war over water and work towards a lasting
solution for sharing of Cauvery water. “We are all brothers and sisters”, he said, adding he was ready to meet his TN counterpart Edappadi K Palaniswamy and request him not to oppose Mekedatu project.
“I make this request to everyone in Tamil Nadu and I am asking like a brother,” he said, adding that Karnataka had started working on Detailed Project Report (DPR) only after obtaining relevant permissions from concerned departments at the Centre.
Kumaraswamy’s argument will not go well with the TN government and political parties here since the issue of sharing Cauvery water has already been settled finally by the Supreme Court in its final order and there is nothing more for the two states to negotiate.
However, the Karnataka CM has been arguing, even after the Apex Court order, that the two states must find an amicable settlement on sharing Cauvery waters. Reiterating his stand at his media interaction now at the airport here, he said if Mekedatu reservoir is constructed, “Karnataka will use it only to store the water and not utilise it”.
He also pointed out that whenever the monsoon was good, Karnataka always released water to TN and this year too, his state has released more than 390 tmcft, “which is much more than the (SC) verdict”. But then, huge amount was water was going wasted into the sea; whereas if Mekedatu reservoir came up, Karnataka would be able to save water and release it to Tamil Nadu in gradual quantities. “Why waste water?” he asked.
Kumaraswamy said he had requested the Union Water Resources Ministry to convene a meeting of the leaders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in order to negotiate a lasting solution to all the water issues. “I want to stress again and again that we are not enemies; so let us sit across and find solutions”.
When a reporter pointed out that Tamil Nadu was facing drought, Kumaraswamy shot back: “Even Karnataka is facing the same problem and we have lost crops worth '20,000 crore just this year”.
