Daily News Analysis ‘Mekedatu Reservoir Project ’ : 27 May

Why in News:

• The Supreme Court of India has dismissed Tamil Nadu’s review petition against the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, upholding its earlier ruling that the lower riparian state’s legal challenge is premature.

Mekedatu Project:

• Project Definition: The Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Drinking Water Project is a major multi-purpose water infrastructure initiative proposed by the State Government of :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.
• Literal Meaning: The word “Mekedatu” translates literally to “Goat’s Leap” in the Kannada language, referring to a deep, narrow granite gorge naturally carved by the river.
• Geographic Confluence Location: The project site is located near :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} in Ramanagara district of Karnataka, approximately 3.0 km downstream of Sangama, the natural confluence where the Arkavathy River joins the main channel of the Cauvery River.
• Dual Core Objectives: Designed with a structural capacity of 67.16 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (TMCFT), the project aims to meet two primary objectives: supplying over 4 TMCFT of safe drinking water to the expanding :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} Metropolitan Region and generating 400 Megawatts (MW) of renewable hydroelectric power.