Mekedatu dam row sparks farmer protests in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

The Karnataka government is pressing ahead with the Mekedatu dam project on the Cauvery River, valued at around ₹9,000 crore. Tamil Nadu, which claims water‑sharing rights, filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The court dismissed Tamil Nadu’s plea, stating that any new project across the Cauvery or its tributaries would violate its earlier ruling.

Farmers in the Delta districts of Tamil Nadu have staged protests, accusing the state leadership of neglecting their concerns. Karnataka officials, including Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Sivakumar, have intensified construction efforts and submitted project reports to the central government. The controversy has sparked demonstrations in neighboring Kerala and in parts of Tamil Nadu, with opposition parties and communist groups joining the rallies. The dispute centers on water allocation, legal challenges, and regional political tensions.