Karnataka will earmark funds for the Rs 16,745 crore Mekedatu balancing reservoir project in its next budget, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, renewing the state’s push for an infrastructure plan intended to strengthen Bengaluru’s drinking-water supply despite opposition from Tamil Nadu.
Shivakumar made the announcement during the second year of the Cauvery Aarti programme at Krishnarajasagara (KRS) in Mandya. The proposed Mekedatu project includes a 400 MW hydropower plant and is intended to secure additional drinking water for Bengaluru.
The funding announcement signals that the Karnataka government plans to advance the project through its budgetary process. The proposal remains linked to the wider interstate dispute over the sharing and utilisation of Cauvery water, with Tamil Nadu opposing the reservoir plan.
Karnataka’s case for the project is based partly on its argument that a significant volume of Cauvery water is not being put to local use. Shivakumar said 341 TMC of Cauvery water had flowed into the sea last year, while 177 TMC had to be released to Tamil Nadu. He also said that the country was facing drought this year and that, apart from the Krishna dam, no other dam in Karnataka had filled up.
The project would require the submergence of forest land. A committee headed by the deputy commissioner has been formed to identify 5,000 hectares of alternative land to compensate for the forest area that would be affected by the reservoir, according to the report.
The KRS reservoir currently irrigates an estimated 37,147 acres, with its irrigation network extending for 347 km. These figures underline the existing role of the Cauvery system in supporting both irrigation and water management in the region, even as Bengaluru’s demand for drinking water continues to shape the state’s infrastructure priorities.
The chief minister also said the Union water resources ministry had directed officials to invite tenders for desilting the KRS and Tungabhadra reservoirs following a meeting involving representatives from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Desilting has begun in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where dredging machines are being brought in to remove accumulated silt, he said.
Shivakumar said he and the irrigation minister would visit Telangana to inspect the desilting initiative and examine ways to prevent water wastage. The statement places the Mekedatu announcement within a broader effort by Karnataka to improve the storage and utilisation of water in its major reservoirs.
The government has separately earmarked Rs 100 crore for the Cauvery Aarti programme. An open-air stadium is also planned downstream of the KRS reservoir for weekly aarti events. The next budget will determine how the proposed allocation for the Mekedatu project is reflected in Karnataka’s spending plans.
