Mekedatu Dam

In News

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed a joint committee to look into allegations of unauthorised construction activity taking place for Mekedatu dam.

About

• Acting suo motu based on a media report, NGT has directed the panel to submit a report.
• The NGT also directed the joint committee to assess the damage caused to the environment in case of any construction made and determine the compensation payable by the respective authorities who are responsible.
• If the project is to be implemented without conducting any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study and without obtaining necessary clearance, if any required, then it will be an unauthorized act affecting the environment.
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.

Mekedatu Dam

• The Mekedatu dam is being constructed by the Karnataka government across the Cauvery River. 
• The proposal is aimed at providing drinking water facilities to Bengaluru Metropolitan region and its surrounding areas (4.75 TMC) and generate 400 MW of power as an additional benefit.
• The project cost is estimated at Rs 9,000 crore.

Significance of Mekedatu Dam

• As per the plan, Bengaluru and other areas would get regular potable water.
• It would be able to help the city address its water woes.

Issues 

• Affects Natural Habitats: The proposed land for the submergence zone is habitats for certain threatened species. The project will be adversely impacting their natural habitat. 
• Tussle with Tamil Nadu: 
  • Tamil Nadu had all along strongly opposed the project and approached the Supreme Court as well saying any dam proposal by upper riparian states in the Cauvery basin would deprive the state’s delta farmers of their rightful share of water.
  • The state contended that the proposed reservoir would affect the natural flows of the river Cauvery and nullifies the final adjudication of the settlement of the centuries-long Cauvery river dispute through the formation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.
  • Karnataka has maintained that the extra drawing of water will not, in any way, affect the mandatory allocation of water to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

(Image Courtesy: Economic Times)

Benefits of Construction of Dams

• Flood control: Water bodies like dams decrease or eliminate the flood effects. 
• Land improvement: are the extra benefits that will occur after an increase in the soil productivity because of drainage and land improvement precautions. 
• Potable Water: Dams supply drinking water and domestic water to address water scarcity. 
• Irrigation: Dams benefit the dry and unirrigated regions. 
• Energy: Dams provide energy benefit and make the project more economical with additional value.
• Transportation benefits: They will occur in case there is waterway transportation in the project.

Environmental Impacts of Dams

• Destruction of Nature: The water regime may change as a result of destruction of nature, unexpected floods may occur and consequently vegetation and natural structures in the riverbanks can be damaged.
• Affects Fauna: Normal passing ways of territorial animals are hindered since the dam works as a barrier. The fishes can be damaged while passing through the floodgates, turbines and pumps of the high bodied dams. 
• Rehabilitation: Dams affect the social, cultural and economical structure of the region considerably. Especially forcing people, whose settlement areas and lands remain under water to migrate, affect their psychology negatively.
• Loss of Aesthetic Beauty: The geological and topographical places that are rare with their exceptional beauties, disappear after lying under the reservoir. 
• Chances of Earthquakes: Some increase in earthquakes may occur because of filling of big dam reservoirs.

Way Forward 

• A dam can serve the purpose of substantially augmenting the needs of a water stressed city but the care should be taken to fulfill environmental compliances and proper environment impact assessment.
• At the same time, the tenets of Cooperative federalism need to be preserved by preventing the possibility of any inter-state disputes.

Source: TH

“>