The Kerala Government is trying to renew the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement with Tamil Nadu through negotiations by fully protecting the State’s interests, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the Assembly on Tuesday.
Efforts to review the water-sharing pact had begun in 1988. But a final decision is awaited as consensus is yet to be reached on issues including the sharing of surplus water, Mr. Vijayan said.
Tamil Nadu had agreed to a review of the PAP agreement when the Chief Ministers of both states met in Thiruvananthapuram on September 25, 2019. As decided then, both states had formed a secretary-level committee with five members each from both sides to work out the details. The panel has met thrice so far. On the basis of decisions taken at these meetings, a consensus has been reached with Tamil Nadu for creating a ‘preliminary framework’ for reviewing the pact, he said.
As demanded by Kerala, Tamil Nadu has consented to increase the meetings of the Joint Water Regulatory Board which oversees the division and distribution of the water under the pact, the Chief Minister said.
In line with the directions of the National Green Tribunal, Kerala has also demanded that the natural flow (e-flow) in all rivers under the PAP agreement is maintained. The State has also demanded the inclusion of a provision for it in the renewed agreement.
Work on strengthening the Poringalkuthu dam is expected to be awarded soon. Once this work is completed, more water can be diverted to Idamalayar, thus regulating the flow to the Chalakudy river, the Chief Minister said. The dam strengthening work is being taken up on the basis of a report submitted by an expert panel appointed after the 2018 floods and also in line with studies conducted by the Dam Safety Review Panel, he said.
The State’s demand for a review of the PAP agreement is several years old. The pact was inked on May 29, 1970, with retrospective effect from November 9, 1958. Although it was to be reviewed after 30 years, in 1988, the two states could not reach a consensus despite several rounds of talks.
