TN govt: Kerala agreeable to diversion of waters

Chennai: Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments on Friday decided to move ahead in implementing the Pandiyar-Punnampuzha scheme that envisages utilization of the west flowing waters of Pandiyar and Punnampuzha rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. The project is aimed at diverting the water eastward so that drought-prone areas of TN will benefit with the additional scope of hydropower generation on both sides, sources told TOI.
During the six hour-long meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, both governments represented by senior officers of irrigation and power departments discussed threadbare the inter-state water disputes, including Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) that benefits western districts.
“This is just the preliminary stage in a series of discussions being held with Tamil Nadu. After we understand the requirements of the individual states, we will do the necessary homework and return to the discussion table. We hope to settle these matters amicably and as early as possible, hopefully within two to three months,” said Kerala’s water resources minister K Krishnankutty.
Both the governments set up high-level committees last year subsequent to a meeting of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram in previous October. The ongoing discussion is the second official-level meeting, following a deliberation held between the chief ministers of both states. The last meeting was held in Chennai involving the secretaries of the water resource department.
The last meeting between the chief ministers took place in Chennai in 2004. “Kerala is positive. They have sought details like where the dam shall be, the capacity of the structure, the availability of water, and the share that each state would get and the mechanism for compliance,” said a senior TN government official. TN government is pleased with Kerala’s gesture and it has agreed to share the details within a week.
Kerala’s main demand is regulatory control over three dams in its territory – Parambikulam, Thunakkadavu and Peruvarippalam – which are presently operated by Tamil Nadu as part of PAP.
The state had, in the previous meeting, put forward this proposal in lieu of allowing Tamil Nadu to divert Nirar water directly to Nellar, which was otherwise being routed through Kerala’s territory. The PAP system has nine dams and two weirs spread over Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
(With inputs from Thiruvananthapuram).