- Mohan
- For BBC Tamil
It has been a matter of dispute between the Governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala that Tamil Nadu is not getting its due share from the Siruvani Dam which supplies drinking water to the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.
Drinking water is being supplied to the Corporation of Coimbatore through the Siruvani, Billur and Azhiyar schemes.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin has recently written two letters to the Kerala Chief Minister. Minister KN Nehru, who was in Coimbatore recently, had accused the Kerala government of not providing adequate water from Siruvani.
In a letter dated June 19, Stalin had said that the Kerala Chief Minister should order the concerned authorities to upgrade the water storage of the Siruvani Dam to its full capacity. The water supply to the Siruvani Dam has been increased following a letter from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, according to the Drinking Water Drainage Board.
Responding to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s tweet, Kerala Chief Minister Binarayi Vijayan said that maximum discharge water is provided. Soon the Chief Minister had replied that we would discuss the next phase through a level meeting.
MK Stalin responded, “I look forward to discussing and resolving issues with a sense of cooperation and camaraderie.” We will ensure that the two states grow together, “he said.
When was the Chiruvani project developed?
Speaking to BBC Tamil, Ilangovan, a writer from Coimbatore, said, `The first drinking water project in Coimbatore, the Siruvani project, was created in 1929. Chiruvani was the first drinking water project in India to be developed and implemented by a municipality. States were not then divided by language.
When the linguistic states were divided in 1956, the Siruvani Dam came under the control of Kerala. But its use is in Tamil Nadu. The Government of Tamil Nadu pays the Government of Kerala for the maintenance of the Siruvani Dam every year.
The same problem with the Mullaiperiyaru dam is present in Chiruvani. In 1973, for the first time, an agreement was reached between Tamil Nadu and Kerala regarding the distribution of drinking water in Siruvani.
Small water is used for drinking water needs of the Corporation of Coimbatore. However, in the summer, even when it is raining, it becomes difficult to get drinking water in the small town. This will be followed by talks at the level of officials and ministers in the two states each time. There must be a permanent solution to this, ‘he said.
What is the contract?
Speaking to BBC Tamil, Meera, Executive Engineer, Siruvani Division, Coimbatore Drinking Water Drainage Board, said, “The Siruvani Dam was built for the drinking water needs of Tamil Nadu. It is currently controlled by the Government of Kerala. , “He says.
According to the agreement with the Government of Kerala, 10 crore liters of water per day will be supplied to Tamil Nadu from Siruvani. 304 crore liters of drinking water should be provided per month. 1.30 TMC of drinking water per year (July 1 to June 30) should be provided.
But the amount of drinking water to be admitted for the last six years has not been fully provided, the chief minister said in a letter. 300 crore liters of drinking water was supplied last December. This amount gradually began to decrease from January (January – 237 crore liters, February – 179 crore liters, Match 179 crore liters, April – 162 crore liters, May – 161 crore liters).
Half of the drinking water supply in May has been provided. The supply of drinking water is slightly less during the summer months. But in the past it has never been this low. Kerala authorities have reduced the supply of drinking water since January. But the exact reason for that has not been reported.
What is the request of the Government of Tamil Nadu?
File photo
According to the two-state agreement, the Siruvani Dam will maintain a water capacity of 878.5 meters. But the Kerala government maintains only 877 meters of water. Thus there is a shortage of 122 metric cubic feet of water available to Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the Government of Tamil Nadu has demanded that the water level be maintained as per the agreement.
However, there has been no official response from the Kerala government to the Tamil Nadu government’s request. Negotiations on the part of the authorities are said to have resumed. Then this request is to be discussed in detail, `says the Executive Engineer of the Siruvani Division.
What is the response of Kerala?
Alex Varghese, chief engineer of the Kerala State Drinking Water Drainage Board, told BBC Tamil that the Siruvani deal was done in 1973. But the dam had already been built. The dam is weakened as the canals are severely damaged. That is why water cannot be stored at full capacity. Leaks occur in many places. We are going to duly inform the Government of Tamil Nadu.
But we are providing water regularly. So far 1.15 TMC water has been supplied. The scheduled 1.30 TMC will be delivered by the end of June. There is no benefit to Kerala from the Siruvani Dam. The Siruvani Dam is the only source of drinking water in Coimbatore.
The meeting of the Joint Control Board regarding the Siruvani Dam has not been able to convene for the last two years due to the corona. This meeting will be held as soon as possible. Then these divorces will be resolved through negotiations.
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