Pattali Makkal Katchi president Anbumani Ramadoss addresses a gathering opposing the construction of the Mekedatu dam at Bhavani in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday.

| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday (July 2, 2026) said the proposed Mekedatu dam in Karnataka would pose a serious threat to Tamil Nadu’s drinking water supply and irrigation, affecting people across the State.Addressing a gathering at Bhavani during his four-day awareness padayatra against the project, Mr. Ramadoss said Tamil Nadu, being the tail-end riparian State, had greater rights over the Cauvery waters. Recalling the 1892 and 1924 agreements between the erstwhile Madras Presidency and the princely State of Mysore, he alleged that Karnataka had repeatedly violated water-sharing arrangements by constructing reservoirs without Tamil Nadu’s consent.He said Karnataka’s four Cauvery reservoirs had a combined storage capacity of about 115 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft), while the Mettur Dam’s effective storage capacity had declined from 93 tmcft to around 80 tmcft owing to siltation. The proposed 70-tmcft Mekedatu reservoir, about 4 km from the Tamil Nadu border, would increase Karnataka’s storage capacity to 185 tmcft, more than double of Mettur’s current capacity, he claimed.Questioning Karnataka’s stand that the reservoir was intended to meet Bengaluru’s drinking water needs, Mr. Ramadoss said the city required only around 10 tmcft, while the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal had allocated 4.75 tmcft. “If the project is only for drinking water, why should a 70-tmcft reservoir be constructed?” he asked.Mr. Ramadoss said he had visited Biligundlu on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) and found the flow in the Cauvery to be low despite the onset of the southwest monsoon. If the Mekedatu project was implemented, the State would face shortages of drinking water and irrigation, he said, adding that the delayed opening of the Mettur Dam this year reflected the State’s dependence on upstream releases.Stating that 28 districts depended on the Cauvery, Mr. Ramadoss said the issue concerned every resident of the State and not just farmers. He maintained that his campaign was aimed at safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s water rights and was not politically motivated. Published - July 02, 2026 07:50 pm IST