Yet another inter-State river water sharing dispute is in the offing with the State Irrigation Department objecting to Tamil Nadu’s move to construct a check-dam across the Palar river located in the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) basin.
Department officials have written a letter to the State government seeking its intervention to stop the construction as that would obstruct the flow of water to the Chitturpuzha, one of the major feeders of the Bharathapuzha.
The proposed check-dam, with an initial outlay of Rs.1,83,00,000, would violate the inter-State water sharing accord between the two States over the PAP basin. It would adversely affect agriculture in the water-scarce Chittur taluk, the officials pointed out.
Last month, the Tamil Nadu government had invited tenders for constructing the check-dam at Vallakondapuram, near Pollachi. When the project was discussed at the last meeting of the Joint Water Regulatory Board, Kerala officials strongly opposed it saying that the move was a clear violation of the PAP accord to share Parambikulam waters with the arid regions of Coimbatore and Tirupur districts of Tamil Nadu.
According to sources in the Irrigation Department, the Chitturpuzha is receiving water through the Aliyar river from both the Palar and Aliyar dams. As per the PAP accord, consent of both the States is mandatory for any construction activity in the basin.
The check-dam project has been in cold storage for long because of stringent opposition from Kerala.
Dam across Palar river will obstruct flow of water to Chitturpuzha
Agriculture will be affected in water-scarce Chittur taluk
Irrigation dept. says it is violation of Parambikulam-Aliyar Project accord
