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.
