In reviving the Vamanapuram irrigation project, the Irrigation Department will settle for a scaled-down version of the original proposal that was shelved years ago.
Although details are yet to be worked out, drinking water supply will get priority over irrigation in the new plan, Irrigation officials said. This is because demand for the latter has decreased due to changes in land use patterns in the region. As in the original proposal, there will be a dam — albeit a smaller one than in the original detailed project report (DPR) — in the upper reaches for storing water for the dry summer months.
Downstream, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will construct multiple check dams to ensure that the intake points for its water supply schemes do not go dry as it did last summer.
Land returned
“When the proposal was originally conceived, we had acquired land in Valayinkal near the proposed dam site and at Nedumangad. The former land was returned to the Revenue Department when the project got shelved. Although a detailed project report was prepared back then, we will now rework it to meet current requirements,” Shamsudeen K.H., Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Administration, said.
Although the construction of the main dam will take time, a few check-dams are expected to be in place downstream by the 2020 summer.
Why it was shelved
Conceived in the 1970s, the Vamanapuram irrigation project was shelved following opposition which stemmed from a fear that it would displace people and submerge a large area forest land. Though cost estimates were revised over the years, and the project proposal itself modified, the project had failed to take off.
At a review of Irrigation Department projects last week, Water Resources Minister K. Krishnankutty had reiterated the need to revive the Vamanapuram irrigation project to save the river and ensure uninterrupted water supply in the northern parts of Thiruvananthapuram district.
The project was essential to save northern Thiruvananthapuram from water shortage during summer, Mr. Krishnankutty said.
The KWA runs numerous water supply schemes by drawing water from the 88-km Vamanapuram river.
Chief source of water
This river is the chief source of drinking water for north Thiruvananthapuram regions including Varkala and Attingal municipalities and numerous panchayats. In recent summers, water levels in the river have plummeted alarmingly, forcing the Water Resources Department to consider reviving the Vamanapuram project.
