NationalWednesday, 17 June 2026·The Hindu - Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s Mekedatu tribunal demand: legal basis under Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956
Tamil Nadu has sought a new tribunal on the Mekedatu project, citing the 2007 Cauvery award, the 2018 Supreme Court judgment and Sections 2(c), 3 and 4 of the 1956 Act.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In March 2026, Tamil Nadu sent a communication to the Union government seeking a tribunal on the Mekedatu project, arguing that it is beyond the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and the 2018 Supreme Court judgment.
Key specifics
- Tamil Nadu said Mekedatu does not figure in the 28 projects listed by the CWDT in volume IV, pages 173-175.
- The 28 projects were considered to irrigate about 18.85 lakh acres in Karnataka.
- Tamil Nadu invoked Section 2(c) and Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
- The State also sought a tribunal under Section 4 of the Act and asked the Centre not to act on Mekedatu or any new storage project across the Cauvery or its tributaries.
- The communication said the catchment contribution between Kabini and Billigundulu was assessed at 80 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) on average.
Exam lens
Polity and inter-State water disputes, legal provisions, tribunal formation, Cauvery basin facts — TNPSC may ask the Act name, Section 2(c)/3/4, 18.85 lakh acres, and the 80 TMC figure.