Medha Patkar to lead agitation against Mekedatu reservoir project

The Mekedatu reservoir project has hit another bottleneck as environmentalists, and social organisations have opposed the project. On Friday, Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar told the media that she would lead an agitation against the Mekedatu project, which envisions drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding districts since it would lead to the submergence of 1,200 hectares of forest and displacement of thousands of tribals. They must resist and block the development of the Mekedatu reservoir as it generates massive damage to the forest ecosystem and environment. Several social and environmental groups have come together to create the federation Karnataka Nela Jala Parisara Rakshana Samithi (KNJPRS), and they have taken up an agitation against the Mekedatu project, in support of which the Congress-led a 168-km padayatra from Mekedatu in Kanakapura to Bengaluru that was stopped on Thursday owing to covid crisis and public interest litigation the high court. Chethan Kumar Ahimsa, actor and convener of KNJPRS, told the media that the federation had previously planned a march in Bengaluru city and a public meeting at Freedom Park on Friday, but it had to cancel it, and the programme was limited to an interaction and press conference addressed by Patkar. They would plan a further course of action once the covid wave eases. The activists comprising Patkar will be there with them to result in the agitation against the Mekedatu project. Patkar said that the agitation is not against the offer to render drinking water to Bengaluru city, it is to resist the scheme that leads to the destruction of the environment and livelihoods. The government can guarantee drinking water to Bengaluru city by several means including rejuvenation of lakes, rainwater harvesting, recycling of sewage water and controlling the leakage of water supply pipelines. The projects such as the Mekedatu reservoir will only assist the contractor lobby. Image Source