Karnataka has urged the Union government to accelerate the approval process for several major irrigation and drinking-water projects that remain pending before central authorities.

The demand was raised by Karnataka Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy during the Departmental Summit 2026 of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry in New Delhi. The State highlighted the pending status of projects including Mekedatu, Upper Krishna Project (UKP), Kalasa-Banduri and Upper Bhadra.

A major focus of Karnataka's request was the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water Project. The State has sought an early appraisal and clearance of its revised DPR, arguing that the project is important for strengthening Bengaluru's long-term drinking-water security.

Karnataka maintains that Mekedatu would help meet the water requirements of Bengaluru and surrounding areas while also improving the regulation of Cauvery water, particularly during years of water distress.

Revised Mekedatu DPR

The Mekedatu proposal has been under consideration for several years and remains politically sensitive because of strong opposition from Tamil Nadu.

The original DPR submitted in 2019 was estimated at around ₹9,000 crore. Following observations from the Central Water Commission (CWC), Karnataka prepared a revised proposal. The revised project estimate has risen substantially, with a recent Karnataka government response putting the cost at about ₹16,745 crore at 2026–27 price levels.

The CWC had earlier returned Karnataka's DPR, asking the State to submit a revised report in accordance with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and applicable CWC guidelines. The revised DPR was subsequently uploaded in August 2026.

Karnataka has maintained that the project is primarily aimed at drinking-water security and regulation of Cauvery flows. The proposal envisages a reservoir with storage of roughly 67 TMC and has also been associated with power-generation plans.

Other projects on Karnataka's priority list

Alongside Mekedatu, Karnataka has sought progress on the Upper Krishna Project, Kalasa-Banduri project and Upper Bhadra Project.

The State has repeatedly argued that faster central approvals are essential for completing water infrastructure in drought-prone regions and improving drinking-water availability.

The Upper Bhadra project is already being implemented by Karnataka, while the State has sought central support and inclusion under relevant irrigation-benefit programmes.

Mekedatu remains a Karnataka-Tamil Nadu flashpoint

The Mekedatu proposal continues to face strong resistance from Tamil Nadu, which has expressed concern that a new reservoir across the Cauvery could affect downstream water flows and the existing water-sharing arrangement.

Karnataka, however, argues that the project would help store and regulate water and insists that it would continue to honour the prescribed releases to Tamil Nadu.

The dispute is therefore likely to remain a major inter-State water issue even as Karnataka presses the Centre to expedite the approval process.