Govt. fails to get State’sPAP share: Opposition

The Opposition has blamed the State government for its failure to get Kerala’s eligible allocation of water from the reservoirs of Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) to provide relief to the people in Palakkad district which is facing drought conditions.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday alleged that the Sate government was reluctant to ask Tamil Nadu for Kerala’s water needs as per the PAP water sharing agreement. Kerala is entitled to 7.55 tmc of water under the agreement. But Tamil Nadu had released only 2.86 tmc so far.

Tamil Nadu would have to release water at the rate of 400 ccf per seconds till June to clear the agreed allotment, but the State’s administration had adopted dilatory tactics. The State government did not show the requisite political savvy to get Kerara’s share.

Water Resources Minister Mathew T. Thomas had written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam the other day urging him to take steps to release the assured quantity of water under the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement, besides ensuring that Tamil Nadu utilised its share from this project only for drinking water purposes and not for irrigation and power generation, especially when downstream areas were facing drought conditions and drinking water shortage.

Mr. Chennithala said the special meeting convened by the Chief Minister the other day to discuss the PAP issue had decided to push for the release of water at the administrative-level instead of pursuing it politically. The urgent need of the hour was to ensure discussions were held at the Ministers’ level.

Mr. Chennithala also read into the reluctance of the State government to prevent Tamil Nadu from utilising the dead storage in the Shiruvani dam to meet the drinking water needs of Coimbatore. The Aliyar system services large tracts in Palakkad and Thrissur districts. Thousands of people dependent on the Bharatapuzha and Chitturpuzha would have to suffer drinking water problems, he said.