Bengaluru, June 20 -- Describing the Mekedatu project as an ambitious scheme, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Saturday said the dam would help store water and benefit farmers in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Reddy said, "Mekedatu is a project to build a new dam. It is only for storage. Bengaluru will get 4.75 TMC of drinking water from this, and 400 MW of power will also be generated."

He clarified that the project will not provide water for irrigation. "Once in 4-5 years, rainfall is low. As per central rules, we have to release water to Tamil Nadu every month," he said.

Reddy said 19 TMC of water has to be released in June as per earlier decisions. "We currently have 16 TMC of...