Kerala for CM level talks with Tamil on PAP waters

In a letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart, K Palaniswami, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said CM level talks should be held in the coming days to sort out the issue and urged him to fix up an appropriate time for the same.

Kerala should get 400 cusecs of water till February 15 as per the water sharing agreement under the PAP project, Vijayan said in his second letter to Palaniswami this month.

This was not being implemented, he had said in a letter of February 8.

However, even after that there has been no change in the situation. On February 11 and 12 Kerala received only 80 cusecs of water, he said.

Farmers of Chittor region at Palakkad, who depend mainly on the release of water under the PAP pact, were in distress due to non-release of water as per the agreement,Vijayan said. There is a severe shortage of drinking water in the Chittor river basin, resulting in drought and crops getting destroyed in the area, he said. Kerala was keen to resolve the issue by holding talks with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in Chennai and an appropriate day and time needs to be fixed soon for the meeting, he said.