Alternative land identified for Mekedatu project in 3 districts
The displacement is expected to impact 233 families, and plans are being formulated to relocate them and provide adequate compensation.
Karnataka water resources department has identified alternative land across the districts of Ramanagara, Mandya and Chamarajanagara to compensate for the 5,000 acres of forest land that will be submerged due to the Mekedatu project. The initiative aims to provide an equivalent area to offset the ecological impact of constructing a balancing dam on the Cauvery River, Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) executive engineer Mohan Gowda said on Sunday.
The identified land will replace the 5,096.22 hectares of forest land required for the project, including 4,776.67 hectares within the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and 229.6 hectares of protected forest. To compensate for this, 7,404.62 hectares of C&D and DEEMS forest land have been earmarked, with Ramanagara district contributing the largest share at 53%. The process of formal land acquisition and its transfer to the forest department is yet to begin, but authorities have indicated that work will soon commence to finalise pricing and other formalities.
Deputy commissioners of the three districts will participate in an upcoming meeting to discuss the acquisition process and compensation mechanisms for those affected by the project. This includes private landowners in five villages—Sangama, Muttathi, Madiwala, Koggedoddi, and Bommasandra—where 160.81 hectares of private land will be submerged. The displacement is expected to impact 233 families, and plans are being formulated to relocate them and provide adequate compensation.
Gowda expressed optimism about the progress. “The Mandya district administration has identified 1,825 hectares of land, and the forest department has issued a feasibility certificate for this. Similar efforts are underway in Chamarajanagara and Ramanagara districts. We hope all processes will be completed in another six months,” Gowda told HT.
The Mekedatu project is envisioned to provide a sustainable drinking water supply to Bengaluru, addressing the city’s growing demand due to rapid urbanisation. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the balancing dam has been submitted to the Union ministry of forests and awaits approval. The proposal is also under review by the National Wildlife Council, a necessary step before the construction can begin.
Despite its potential benefits, the project has faced delays due to environmental clearances and concerns from various groups about the ecological and social impacts. Environmentalists have raised alarms over the submersion of forest areas in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, while local communities fear displacement and disruption of their livelihoods.
The Karnataka government remains hopeful that the approval process will be expedited, resource department officers said. Authorities are working to address ecological concerns and ensure fair compensation and relocation plans for affected families. As the state government pushes forward, the Mekedatu project stands as a crucial yet contentious step towards meeting Bengaluru’s future water needs.
Highlighting the environmental cost, the India State of Forests Report (ISFR) for 2021 said that Karnataka has lost 64 sq km of moderately dense forest in comparison to the 2019 findings. Karnataka’s forest cover currently accounts for only 20.2% of its total geographical area, which falls below the national average of 21.7% and significantly lags behind the global recommendation of 33%.
As per the report on Mekedatu prepared by water resource department officers, there will be a submergence of 4,996 hectares of wildlife, forest and revenue land and its total requirement is 5,252.40 ha. This includes 3,181.90 ha of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and 1869.50 ha of reserve forest land which is home to elephant migratory routes, honey badgers, grizzled giant squirrels, Deccan Mahseer fish and the smooth-coated otters among hundreds of other exotic, and potentially endangered, species of animals.
Experts argue that the actual ecological situation is far graver. “At a time when we should be augmenting our forest ecosystem, we are depleting and plundering it. Ideally, 33% of the Indian landscape should be reserved for forests. But we barely have 20%,” wildlife activist Joseph Hoover said.