Kerala will need big dams and desalination plants as an insurance against drought in future, the Assembly was told on Wednesday.
Legislators participating in the debate on the demands for grants in the House said check-dams would not provide a lasting solution to the water woes of the State. Pointing out that most of the check-dams had run dry in the current drought, Chittur MLA K. Krishnankutty said the State was paying the price for the failure to construct big dams over the last 37 years.
“Hardly 210 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of the State’s potential of 2,756 tmcft from 44 rivers is harnessed for use. The government will now have to think of completing the Periyar, Pazhassy, Kuriyarkutty, Bhavani, Kabani, Banasurasagar and Pooyamkutty projects that have been bogged down for years.”
Mr. Krishnankutty also called for steps to set up political and expert committees to ensure that the State’s interests were protected in inter-State river sharing agreements such as the Mullaperiyar, Neyyar, Cauvery, and Parambikulam-Aliyar projects.
Kongad MLA K.V. Vijayadas said government should explore the possibility of setting up desalination plants to resolve water scarcity during summer.
