Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) President Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday, 1 July flagged off a statewide public awareness march from Biligundlu in Dharmapuri district to the coastal town of Poompuhar, escalating his party's campaign against Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu dam across the Cauvery River. The march is aimed at mobilising public opinion across Cauvery delta communities and river-dependent farming regions against the upstream reservoir project.

Why Anbumani Opposes the Mekedatu Project

Describing the Cauvery as the lifeline of Tamil Nadu, Anbumani said more than 5 crore people in the state depend directly or indirectly on the river for agriculture, industry, and domestic consumption. He warned that construction of the Mekedatu dam would further reduce the already limited flow of Cauvery waters into Tamil Nadu, aggravating water scarcity across several districts.

He rejected Karnataka's stated rationale that the project is primarily intended to meet Bengaluru's drinking water needs, arguing that the city's requirements could be addressed with a far smaller quantity of water. He expressed concern that the proposed 70 TMC reservoir could eventually be repurposed for irrigation, enabling Karnataka to retain greater volumes of Cauvery water upstream and curtailing downstream releases to Tamil Nadu.

Environmental Concerns Raised

The PMK chief also flagged significant ecological risks, noting that the proposed reservoir site encompasses nearly 12,500 acres of dense forest that serves as critical habitat for elephants, tigers, and several other wildlife species. He pointed out that environmental activists within Karnataka have also voiced opposition to the project and urged authorities to reconsider it on ecological grounds.

Legal Battle and Political Demands

Accusing successive Karnataka governments of failing to honour Cauvery water-sharing commitments, Anbumani called on the Tamil Nadu government to pursue every available legal remedy to halt the project. He reiterated his opposition to the state government's proposal for a new Cauvery tribunal, maintaining that the existing tribunal framework remains adequate.

He also called on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to oppose the Mekedatu project and persuade the Congress-led Karnataka government to withdraw the proposal — a pointed appeal that places the issue squarely within national party politics.

The March and Public Mobilisation

The awareness march will traverse major Cauvery irrigation regions before concluding at Poompuhar, with PMK leaders, farmers' representatives, and party workers participating throughout. Anbumani drew parallels with the mass mobilisation witnessed during the Jallikattu movement, appealing to Tamil Nadu's youth to unite in defence of the river. This comes amid a long-running inter-state water dispute that has periodically flared into political and legal conflict between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for decades.