Upper Bhradra Project will be completed by 2028: Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Minister for Water Resources Ramalinga Reddy, who reviewed the progress of the Upper Bhadra project at Lakkavalli, near Chikkamagaluru, on Sunday (July 5), said the government was hopeful of completing the project by 2028, before the completion of the Congress party’s term.

Speaking to presspersons, the Minister said the government had already spent over ₹12,000 crore on the project, which would benefit more than 74 lakh people spread across 12 taluks in four districts — Chikkamagaluru, Davanagere, Chitradurga and Tumakuru. “There were land acquisition issues at five locations. These have been resolved at three locations. We have engaged a retired forest officer to look into the issue,” he said.

Responding to a question, the Minister said the Union government had promised to declare it a national project and had announced ₹5,100 crore for it. “During our recent meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, we reminded him of this promise,” he said.

Responding to a question on the Mekedatu project, the Minister said it would meet Bengaluru’s drinking water requirement and help regulate the release of water to Tamil Nadu. “We can use 4.75 tmcft of water for drinking purposes and to generate power. We are not entitled to use the water for agricultural purposes,” he said.

He said that last month, as per schedule, Karnataka was to release 9 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu; however, because water was not available, the Cauvery Water Management Authority could not direct the release. Had the Mekedatu project been implemented, he said, Karnataka could have stored the water and released it to Tamil Nadu when required.

Tamil Nadu’s pleas opposing the project had been rejected by the court. “We have prepared the detailed project report; once we get the approval, we will take up the project. It benefits both the States. If the matter remains stuck in the courts, both States suffer. We hope the matter is resolved through talks. We have requested the Union Jal Shakti Minister to hold talks on the issue,” he said.

Regarding the deficit rainfall and storage in the reservoirs, the Minister said that the storage was sufficient to fulfil drinking water requirements for the next three to four months. “However, we are also hopeful of good rains in the coming days. There have been reports of good rains in some parts of the State, and the inflow into the reservoirs has been increasing," he said.

The Minister was accompanied by senior officers and legislators.