PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss began a walkathon at the Biligundulu reservoir in Krishnagiri against the Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu barrage project on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: BASHKARAN N
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss urged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to “impress upon his party’s Chief Minister in Karnataka the ecological disaster that the Mekedatu project would cause, similar to his intervention regarding the Nicobar project.”Dr. Anbumani was speaking at the commencement of his four-day awareness walkathon from Biligundulu in Krishnagiri (where Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu) to Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai (where the river meets the sea at the tail-end of the Delta).“We are fully aligned with the ecological sentiments of Mr. Gandhi regarding the proposed destruction of the primitive forests of Nicobar islands (in Galathea Bay), and we stand in solidarity with his emotions and opinions. Likewise, we ask him to intervene in Mekedatu, which will see the submergence of over 12,500 acres of forests and biodiversity,” Dr.Anbumani said.What it holds for Tamil NaduThe proposed barrage across River Cauvery in Mekedatu will lead to the desertification of the Delta districts and those of others, whose agriculture is fed by the waters of the river. Additionally, it will threaten the drinking water source and lower the groundwater table of over 25 districts of Tamil Nadu.Pointing to the exposed rocky surface of the reservoir, Dr.Anbumani said, if the barrage in Mekedatu came to fruition, there will be no water flowing into Biligundulu. . “The Mettur dam hasn’t been opened on June 1 as it should be, because there is no water.”He also dismissed the claims of Karnataka that the Mekedatu reservoir was needed to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru. “Bengaluru’s water requirement is met with 5 tmc to 10 tmc of water. What is the need for 70 tmc storage barrage,” Dr.Anbumani asked.Over 5 crore people are dependent on Cauvery, for agriculture and drinking water source.The waters of Cauvery support agriculture in 11 districts and serves the drinking water needs of 25 districts of the State. The proposed barrage in Mekedatu envisions damming of 70 tmc of water. This will increase the quantum of water stored in Karnataka’s reservoirs tapping into Cauvery and the other lakes to 214.57 tmc. Karnataka’s water storage capacity in its four dams built in Cauvery’s tributaries was 114.57 tmc, whereas the water stored in its lakes was 30 tmc. With another 70 tmc barrage proposal, there will be no water left for Tamil Nadu, the PMK president said.Over 16 lakh acres in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Namakkal, Erode will be affected, but the impact of the barrage was not isolated to only Central and Northern Tamil Nadu. Its effects would be felt in terms of drinking water and food security across the State.The PMK leader called upon the youth to mobilise along the lines of the Jallikattu protests and stop this project. He also faulted the Tamil Nadu government’s resolution passed to oppose the project but mentioning a Mekadatu tribunal. “When we do not accept the project itself, where is the question of a Mekadatu tribunal,” the PMK leader asked.He was accompanied by a slew of farmers’ associations, the MLA of Dharmapuri Sowmiya Anbumani, and hundreds of PMK cadre. Published - July 01, 2026 08:48 pm IST
