Parties raise voice against Siruvani dam
18 Jun 2012 1:17 AM GMT
The Periyar Dravida Kazhagam [PDK], Paattaali Makkal Katchi [PMK] and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam [MDMK] have all protested against the Kerala government’s plan to revive a three-decade old dam project. The proposed dam will help irrigate the drought-prone region of Attapady in Palakkad district of Kerala. They have urged the government of Tamil Nadu to take steps to stop the project immediately.
The two states, which are already at loggerheads over the rebuilding of the Mullaiperiyar Dam, could likely be involved in a fresh tussle over sharing of their limited water resources. The proposed dam will be built over an arm of the Siruvani river that flows into the Bhavani river, which supplies water to the city of Coimbatore. The decision was made at a high-level meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, which was attended by Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.
Media reports have since quoted the irrigation department of Kerala saying the state plans to store about 4 tmc ft [thousand million cubic feet] of water in the dam. Officials from the state claim the new project will not affect the flow into the Siruvani dam, as it will be constructed on a stream that carries spillover water from the dam.
However, residents of Coimbatore are apprehensive about the impact the dam will have on their water supply. Construction of the dam was stopped in the 1980s after opposition from Tamil Nadu.
The two states, which are already at loggerheads over the rebuilding of the Mullaiperiyar Dam, could likely be involved in a fresh tussle over sharing of their limited water resources. The proposed dam will be built over an arm of the Siruvani river that flows into the Bhavani river, which supplies water to the city of Coimbatore. The decision was made at a high-level meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, which was attended by Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.
Media reports have since quoted the irrigation department of Kerala saying the state plans to store about 4 tmc ft [thousand million cubic feet] of water in the dam. Officials from the state claim the new project will not affect the flow into the Siruvani dam, as it will be constructed on a stream that carries spillover water from the dam.
However, residents of Coimbatore are apprehensive about the impact the dam will have on their water supply. Construction of the dam was stopped in the 1980s after opposition from Tamil Nadu.
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