The Hindu 18.03.2016
State seeks water from Aliyar dam for Palakkad
TN urged to release 100 cusecs daily till the onset of monsoon
People moving around in search for water at Ottappalamin Palakkad on Thursday. –Photo: K. K. Mustafah
Faced with extreme drinking water scarcity in most parts
of Palakkad district, Kerala has urged Tamil Nadu to release at least
100 cusecs of water daily from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) to
meet the drinking water needs of people depending on the now dried-up
Bharathapuzha and its feeders till the onset of the southwest monsoon.
As
per the inter-State water-sharing agreement signed by the two States,
Tamil Nadu need not release water from the PAP to Kerala from April 1 to
May 15 every year. However, Kerala has requested water keeping in view
of the extreme summer heat that dried up most of its drinking water
sources in Palakkad. Once Tamil Nadu releases water from the Aliyar dam
under the PAP, the water will reach the Bharathapuzha through its feeder
Chittur river. People living even in far away Ottappalam and Shoranur
will get their share of drinking water if the neighbouring State
releases 100 cusecs of water daily.
According to
highly placed sources, Tamil Nadu has agreed to release the required
quantity daily if Kerala provides daily an additional of 40 cusecs water
from the Siruvani dam to meet the drinking water needs of Coimbatore
city. Officials of the Joint Water Regulatory Board will meet soon to
discuss the proposal.
Meanwhile, the district
administration has identified 158 locations in Palakkad as
drought-prone. Thirteen areas have also been identified as extremely
affected with lack of drinking water.
TN seeks additional 40 cusecs daily from Siruvani
Joint Water Regulatory Board to discuss the issue
