: While Tamil Nadu’s objection to the Union government nod to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a second dam across inter-State Siruvani River in Attappady has opened up another water dispute, a four-decade-old irrigation project mooted by the Kerala government continues to drain the State exchequer.
The total cost of the project when it was conceived in the 1970s was estimated at Rs.4.76 crore. However, a whopping Rs.19.5 crore was spent in recent years to build offices, roads, hostels, quarters, and a canal for the project.
A total of 218 acres of land had been acquired by evicting the Vellakadavu tribal hamlet in end-1970s following strong advocacy by the pro-dam lobby.
In the absence of any construction works, many settlers from outside had encroached upon the land. It would be difficult now to evict them as they have occupied the land for decades.
An Irrigation office of the project has been functioning at Agaly in Attappady and over 38 personnel are employed there.
The fresh round of controversy was triggered last week when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa demanded scrapping of the recommendation for conducting EIA. The Expert Appraisal Committee for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had approved the recommendations, which drew angry response from the political leadership in Tamil Nadu.
Siruvani is a feeder of the east-flowing Bhavani River. The pro-dam lobby within the Irrigation Department put focus on the defunct project last year when the then Minister for Water Resources P.J. Joseph promised fund allocation for its early completion.
In Kerala, green activists have opposed the project, stating that it would lead to devastation of large swathes of forestland apart from eviction of over 300 tribal families from the Vengakadavu, Mundukulam and Kottamala settlements. As per the initial plan, the project envisaged construction of a 450-m gravity dam in Chittur village, across the Siruvani river.
The initial design was envisaged as a multipurpose project intended for irrigation, water supply, and power generation.
Official claim
The official claim of Kerala was that the project would use the water available to Kerala in the Bhavani basin under the award of the Cauvery tribunal. “Though the government claims that it would earmark Rs.400 crore for implementation of the project, the actual cost would exceed at least Rs.1,400 crore keeping in view the possible hurdles in land acquisition and construction,” said an official.
