The Kerala Irrigation department maintains that the release of surplus water from Siruvani reservoir to Attappady was to ensure drinking water availability in the drought-hit region.
Officials said that the release of 50 cusecs of water from the reservoir to the Siruvani river leading to Attappady would not affect drinking water supply in Coimbatore city.
As per the orders of Cauvery tribunal, Kerala can use 6 tmc water from the Bhavani Basin.
The diversion of excess water from the dam to arid regions of eastern Attappady would not reduce daily supply of 90 million litres of water to Coimbatore, officials said.
Kerala has started recharging the Siruvani river by releasing 50 cusecs water per day since February 20. Temporary check dams have been made using sand bags at Kottathara, Sambarkod and Nellipathy in Eastern Attappady to store the released water and to ensure equitable supply in the drought-hit region, especially the tribal areas.
Farmers’ demand
"Farmers in the Chittur taluk have demanded regulation on supply of water from Siruvani to Coimbatore as an arm-twisting strategy. However, the government has not made any reduction in the daily allocation to Tamil Nadu. What we are diverting to Attappady is our own due share recognised by the Cauvery tribunal,” said a senior irrigation official, who refused to disclose his identity.
“Drinking water is our main concern. Remote hamlets face extreme scarcity of safe drinking water. The release of Siruvani water has infused a new lease of life for us,” said Attappady Samrakshana Samithy leader M Sukumaran.
Hydrologist G.I. Shaju said that most of the open wells in eastern Attappady had dried up. In other places, the water level had depleted alarmingly.
