Madurai
The Cauvery Technical Cell has assured the farmers’ association in Theni that all legal steps were being taken to increase the water level in the Periyar dam to 152 feet.
In a reply, dated August 29, 2018, to a series of questions raised by Coordination Committee of All Farmers’ Association, A. Tirupathi Vasagan, the CTC Chairman, R. Subramanian, said that Tamil Nadu Government had filed an execution petition in the Supreme Court to cut 23 trees in the dam site in order to take up works for strengthening the baby dam.
The farmers’ association also sought the status for implementing the Supreme Court’s order of taking up survey for studying the feasibility to dig an additional tunnel to increase the water drawing capacity from the dam to Tamil Nadu side.
Mr. Subramanian said that the existing Fore Bay dam was adequate for drawing water to Tamil Nadu. The survey for the proposal for the second tunnel to draw additional water would be considered when required.
With regard to deploying Central forces at the dam site for its security, the CTC Chairman said that Kerala police would continue to provide security at the dam as per the Kerala Government’s assurance given to the Supreme Court.
However, Tamil Nadu would seek Central forces security when required, he said.
The farmers’ association had sought the stand of Tamil Nadu Government on various aspects of the Periyar dam against the backdrop of Kerala Government accusing water release from Periyar dam as the cause for the recent floods in Kerala.
The association said that 79 dams in Kerala had been overflowing for many days and inundated several areas before Tamil Nadu released 20,000 cusecs of water from Periyar dam.
At a time when Kerala Government was taking up repair works at various places that were damaged in the recent floods, the Kerala Goverment should repair the road leading to the dam through Vallakadavu that was in a very bad shape, it said.
The road was important for transporting raw materials for taking up maintenance work.