Tamil Nadu CM warning: Kerala government will not be allowed to build dams across Bhavani river
Posted on: 31/Jan/2017 6:24:55 PM
The Tamil Nadu State Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam announced in the Legislative Assembly today (Tuesday, 31st January) that a case will be filed against the Kerala Stae government if it makes efforts to build dams across the Bhavani river.
The Kerala State government has been trying to build a dam across the Bhavani river over the last several years. The Kerala government had submitted a petition to the Expert committee on estimates function under the Central Ministry of Environment and climate Changes that as there is a severe drinking water shortage in the Mannarkadu area, permission must be given to building dams across the Bhavani river to provide water to this area.
Following this, the central government gave permission to the Kerala State government to build 6 dams across the Bhavani river on 12th August 2016. Accordingly, the Kerala State Government has been making efforts to build dams.
The dam construction activities are in progress in the areas Manjakkandi and Thekkuvattai lying by the river. The survey activities have been completed in the area Padavayal, Seerakkadavu, Savdaiyur, and Koodappattu.
Information is gathered that dams are proposed to built inside the Kerala state border in places like Idukki, Anaivayal, Anaikkallu, Karavada, and a few other places.
At the same time, over 3 Lakhs of agricultural lands are lying in the districts of Kovai, Tirupur, and Erode entirely depending on the water resource of Bhavani river. Further, Bhavani river accounts mainly for the increase in the groundwater level in over 300 villages.
In these prevailing conditions, people from Tamil Nadu have protested the action by the Kerala state government to build dams across the Bhavani river. This is issue came up in the Legislative Assembly today. The opposition leader M K Stalin raised the question about what activities are being taken by the Tamil Nadu state government against the above.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam replied to this question that a case will be filed in the Supreme Court against the Kerala State government in 2 days for their attempts to build dams across the Bhavani river. The Chief Minister assured that the efforts of the Kerala government will certainly be blocked.
