: The ongoing efforts of the State government to revive a four-decade-old irrigation project with huge environmental implications in the Attappady region have suffered a setback with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) rejecting the State’s argument that environmental clearance can be given to the project proposed across Siruvani River, a feeder of the east-flowing Bhavani, without seeking the opinion of neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The Ministry has informed Kerala that the application for environmental clearance would be considered only after securing Tamil Nadu’s response. Even in Kerala, the project is facing resistance owing to the huge costs involved and ecological concerns.
The then Minister for Water Resources P.J. Joseph had revived the debate over the project by promising to allocate more money to construct it.
Green activists say the project required 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.
As per the initial design, it was a multipurpose project intended for irrigation, water supply, and power generation. The government says the project will use the water available to Kerala in the Bhavani basin under the award of the Cauvery tribunal.
Cost of project
“Though the government claims that it would earmark Rs.400 crore for implementation of the project, the actual cost will exceed at least Rs.1,400 crore keeping in view the possible hurdles in land acquisition and construction.
Since the project faced stiff resistance from Tamil Nadu on grounds that it would cause depletion of water level in the east-flowing Bhavani river and create drinking water scarcity in Coimbatore, Tirupur, and Erode districts, it is unlikely to get the MoEF nod. The initial work was started in the 1970s without getting the approval,” a senior engineer with Kerala Water Authority, who preferred anonymity, said.
When the project was conceived, the total cost was calculated at Rs.4,76,00,000. However, a sum of Rs.19.5 crore was spent in the following years to build offices, roads, hostels, quarters, and a canal.
Though 218 acres of the land has already been acquired by evicting the Vellakadavu tribal hamlet, many local farmers have encroached upon the land. It will be difficult to evict them easily as they have been occupying it for decades.
An office of the irrigation project, which effectively stopped functioning long ago following a dispute over sharing of the Cauvery waters, has over 38 personnel drawing salary and benefits every month.
Greens say the project requires devastation of forestland apart from eviction of tribals.
