Bengaluru has seen one of many worst droughts resulting in consuming water and groundwater scarcity in 100 years. (PTI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whereas campaigning for the Bengaluru Lok Sabha seat, has been stressing on the significance of the undertaking for Bengaluru’s sustainability and has appealed to folks to vote for the Congress to make sure the town doesn’t go thirsty once more
The Congress says it has an answer to quench the thirst of a parched Bengaluru — Vote for his or her candidates within the upcoming Lok Sabha election and they’re going to deliver to fruition the Mekedatu consuming water undertaking.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whereas campaigning for the Bengaluru Lok Sabha seat, has been stressing on the significance of the undertaking for Bengaluru’s sustainability and has appealed to folks to vote for the Congress to make sure the town doesn’t go thirsty once more.
“Soumya Reddy’s victory is crucial if the Mekedatu undertaking is to be applied,” mentioned Siddaramaiah whereas campaigning for the Bengaluru South candidate who’s contesting in opposition to BJP’s Tejasvi Surya. The chief minister made comparable appeals when he campaigned for Mansoor Khan in Bengaluru Central LS seat, Rajeev Gowda within the Bengaluru North LS seat and DK Suresh within the Bengaluru rural seat. All these seats have been hit by the consuming water scarcity and low groundwater ranges in peak summer season months.
Political analyst Sandeep Shastri believes the Congress has been making an attempt to concentrate on native points to shift the highlight away from the central management.
“If the BJP has been taking a jibe on the Congress, asking them to settle their inner variations on Mekedatu, Siddaramaiah is making it clear that Karnataka has its personal coverage. They’re countering the BJP by saying the Congress and DMK could also be a part of the identical INDIA bloc however they are going to be taking good care of the curiosity of their very own state Karnataka,” Shastri mentioned.
Mekedatu is a proposed multi-purpose consuming water undertaking involving the development of a balancing reservoir on the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and Arkavathy, located about 100 km from Bengaluru on the Kanakapura taluka in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district. It goals to assist meet the rising demand for consuming water in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. Estimated to price round Rs 9,000 crore, Karnataka believes it could actually resolve the consuming water scarcity in Bengaluru and Ramanagara districts.
Bengaluru has seen one of many worst droughts resulting in consuming water and groundwater scarcity in 100 years which has additional prompted political events just like the Congress to take it up as a political problem on this Lok Sabha election marketing campaign. When accomplished, the undertaking is anticipated to provide over 4 TMC of water to Bengaluru metropolis for consuming functions.
It additionally goals at storing round 50 tmc ft of water by regulating water throughout floods and extra rainfall, whereas additionally harnessing 400 MW of renewable vitality via a hydroelectricity plant.
The difficulty was revived throughout the 2019 elections when Karnataka despatched an in depth plan to the Centre, saying they wished to construct the reservoir in Ramanagara, which is about 90 km from Bengaluru and near the border with Tamil Nadu. In 2022, the occasion launched a five-day padyatra overlaying 170 km and about 15 meeting constituencies with the slogan “Namma Neeru Namma Hakku” (Our water, Our proper). Nevertheless, the protest was lower brief owing to rising numbers of Covid-19 instances within the state. The Congress had additionally spoken in regards to the undertaking within the 2023 meeting elections.
This 12 months, the Grand Outdated Get together has raised the electoral pitch as soon as once more, saying the BJP did nothing to implement the Mekedatu undertaking when it was in energy.
Mekedatu is a bone of rivalry between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, identical to the Cauvery water-sharing problem.
Tamil Nadu has been agency on its stand, stating that Karnataka has no proper to determine on the Mekedatu undertaking till a no-objection certificates is obtained from the opposite riparian states comparable to themselves and Kerala. In line with Tamil Nadu, the paperwork submitted by the Karnataka authorities to the Central Water Fee (CEC) on why the Mekedatu undertaking ought to be allowed have been ‘flawed’ and “unfair”.
In 2023, beneath the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP authorities, a timeline was set for the primary time for the development of the dam. Bommai, in an interview to News18, had spoken of allocating Rs 1,000 crore for Mekedatu and introduced that the work would begin by the tip of 2023. The undertaking is but to take off.
