Mekedatu dam project: a long-standing source of friction between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

The Mekedatu dam project is back in limelight with the Supreme Court, on November 13, 2025, giving nod for the appraisal of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

The idea of the project proponent – the Karnataka government – is to impound 67.16 thousand million cubic ft (TMC) of water by building a ₹9,000-crore balancing reservoir at Mekedatu (which, in Kannada, means ‘goat’s leap’), about 100 km from Bengaluru. The project will have a 400 MW (megawatt) hydro power component too. In the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment on the Cauvery dispute, Karnataka had been sanctioned an additional 4.75 TMC.