Finance Minister K.M. Mani has announced an allocation of Rs.505.14 crore to tackle drought, with the sum to go for various projects for conservation of available water, drinking water supply, and to ensure smooth supply of water for agricultural and allied requirements.

He suggested building of check-dams to conserve river water. Studies would be done on setting up check-dams and regulators in all rivers. The first phase of the project envisaged construction of 700 check-dams, for which Rs.400 crore had been set aside.

Mr. Mani said 64 major drinking water supply schemes, being implemented with the help of the NRDWP, SPAN and NABARD, would be completed this fiscal. He said the current fiscal till January had seen Plan allocation of Rs.422.66 crore to the Kerala Water Authority. The same had been hiked to Rs.849 crore in the present budget.

Pointing out that the main pipes of most of the drinking water supply networks in the State were over 30 years old, a loan-assisted project would be prepared for places, including Thiruvananthapuram, for phased replacement of old, broken, and leaking pipes. A sum of Rs.90 crore had been set aside for this. Stating that projects would be prepared to utilise the 30 tmc ft water that would be available for the State from the Kabani, Bhavani, and Pambar Basins as per the Cauvery Tribunal award, Mr. Mani said work on the first dam in the Pambar Basin would begin at Pattissery, for which Rs.25.15 crore had been sanctioned. Steps would be initiated to build a dam in Attappady to store water from the Bhavani Basin.

The Mullaperiyar case was in the final stages, the Finance Minister said, adding that with permission for a new dam expected shortly, Rs. 50 crore was set aside for the same. A sum of Rs.25 crore had been set aside for the commissioning of the Muvattupuzha Valley Irrigation project and the Idamalayar project this year while Rs.50 crore had been set aside for the Meenachil Valley Irrigation project.

A sum of Rs. 50 lakh had been set aside for the Malankara Irrigation Tourism project in Thodupuzha as well. The major highlights for the Water Resources sector included studies, beginning with Chittoor block, for conservation and recharging of ground water; water supply schemes from at least two rivers in all five Corporations; a Rs.1,000 crore 200-MLD supply JICA-aided system for Ernakulam with the SmartCity in mind; and a comprehensive drinking water project for Kalliyoor, Venganoor, Vizhinjam and Kovalam panchayats of Thiruvananthapuram, for which Rs.2 crore had been set aside.