New Delhi: In a major setback to Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court (SC) this afternoon rejected to step into the Cauvery water-sharing dispute, dismissing Tamil Nadu’s application against Karnataka’s plan to construct Mekedatu dam.

The Supreme Court  Bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice N.V. Anjaria, observed that Tamil Nadu’s challenge to the order passed by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekadatu dam was “premature,” as the plan would be approved only after considering the objections of the State as well as the opinion of the expert bodies, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

“At this stage, what is being done by the order passed by the CWC is only the preparation of the DPR, that too after taking into consideration the objections of the State of Tamil Nadu, the experts of the CWMA and CWRC. It is further to be noted that the CWC had further directed that the prior approval of the CWMA and CWRC would be a prerequisite for the consideration of the DPR. In that view of the matter, we find the present application to be premature,” said the Bench.

Mekedatu project is a multi-purpose project proposed by Karnataka, which involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Bengaluru South district.

However, Tamil Nadu has been objecting to the construction of the Mekedatu dam as it fears it will reduce the natural water flow and negatively impact its delta region and farmers.