Chennai, Aug 27 (IANS): The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on August 31 will discuss the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link canal scheme. The scheme executed by the Tamil Nadu government has to take approval from the CWMA to procure financial support.

The Mekedatu Dam project of Karnataka is likely to be discussed in the CWMA meeting which is to be held physically in New Delhi on August 31 after a gap of 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of seven meetings of the CWMA were held virtually during this period.

This will be the 13th meeting since the CWMA was constituted in June 2018 and the Tamil Nadu government will be represented by Additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources and Public Works), Sandeep Saxena.

At present, the idea of the Tamil Nadu government is to implement the scheme through the NABARD infrastructure development assistance and presently the first phase of the work is being conducted with the fund amounting to Rs 330 crore sanctioned by the previous AIADMK government. The then Chief Minister K. Palaniswami had laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the Cauvery-Vaigai- Gundar link canal scheme.

The project will connect rivers from the Cauvery to Gundar over a length of 262 km starting from Kattalai barrage and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 6,941 crore.

S. Duraimurugan, the State Water Resources Minister and senior DMK leader, told IANS, "The CWMA meeting is important and the Tamil Nadu government will take up the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar project during the meeting. We will also oppose the Mekedatu dam project of Karnataka."