Though the recent nod of the Central authorities for an environmental impact assessment study has triggered yet another round of inter-State river water row between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the Attapady irrigation project is one among many in the country that remained on paper for decades.
Originally conceived in 1970, the project, as submitted to the Centre now, envisages a concrete gravity dam across the Siruvani river, a tributary of Bhavani river at Chittur in Agali village of Mannarkkad taluk in Palakkad district.
The proposed dam, according to information available with officials here, will be located downstream of the existing one, which has been constructed to supply 1.3 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water for domestic consumption to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The supply for Coimbatore has been in place through an inter-State agreement of 1969 which has been taken into account by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its final order.
The proposed dam, as per information available on the website of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, will impound 2.29 tmc, which will be less than what is entitled to Kerala for the irrigation project, as per the final order.
The neighbouring State has drawn strength from the final order while formulating the project. Out of the Tribunal’s total allocation of 30 tmc, Kerala gets six tmc from the Bhavani sub-basin with Kabini accounting for 21 tmc and Pambar three tmc. There is a break-up for the amount of six tmc in the Bhavani sub-basin and Kerala can only use 2.87 tmc for the Attapady project.
One of the points adduced by the Kerala government in support of the project is that despite the catchment of the project receiving nearly 391 cm annually, Attapady remains a drought-prone area.
Non-availability of water hits both agriculture and drinking water supply requirements. Besides, tribals account for 40 per cent of the population in Attapady and the project will eventually benefit them too.
Conscious of the share of the neighbouring State, Tamil Nadu is concerned as it feels that the renewed attempt to dam the Siruvani will hit requirements of its farmers more.
Besides, no detailed project report has been shared with Tamil Nadu and whatever information provided has been sketchy, says a senior official.
The controversy has only reinforced the need for the early constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board and Water Regulation Committee, which can take care of such issues effectively, the official adds.
