Tension prevailed on the inter-State border near Budur, Gummidipoondi taluk, on Wednesday as the Water Resources Department seized pump sets that were illegally drawing water from the Kandaleru Poondi canal.
Coordinated effort
Several farmers from Andhra Pradesh limits staged a demonstration against the drive as a team of WRD officials pulled out the pump sets from the canal bed falling under the Andhra Pradesh limit. It was conducted in coordination with the Tiruvallur Collectorate, the police and Andhra Pradesh government officials.
For several days now, Krishna water flowing to Chennai was drawn through 53 pump sets illegally installed in the canal bed for a stretch of 2.7 km.
The pump sets were found to have been installed in the portion of the canal being maintained by Andhra Pradesh, a few km upstream of the canal’s entry point in Tamil Nadu. Krishna water travels 152 km before reaching the Tamil Nadu border.
Though the villages — Budur and Vanrasikuppam — fall in Gummidipoondi taluk, several farmers from Andhra Pradesh cultivated in an area spread over 400 acres. “We are now receiving an increased volume of 600 cusecs from Kandaleru reservoir, Andhra Pradesh. If the illegal drawal continued, Chennai will not be able to reap the benefit of water release from Andhra Pradesh. We have received 1,510 million cubic feet of water since January 1,” said an official.
