The Congress here is on a warpath against the Tamil Nadu government’s move to bring water from the Aliyar dam to Oddanchatram in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. The Congress claims that it will be a violation of the water-sharing contract signed between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced an ambitious ₹930-crore project to bring drinking water to Oddanchatram from the Aliyar dam. “We doubt the logic behind the project that aims at bringing water to Oddanchatram 120 km away from the Aliyar dam, especially when there are two dams within that range,” said Congress district vice president Sumesh Achuthan.
He said it would remain a mystery why Tamil Nadu government was avoiding the Thirumurthy dam and the Amaravati dam which are much closer to Oddanchatram.
He said taking water from the Aliyar dam to Oddanchatram would cause shortage of water in the Bharathapuzha. “We fear that the Tamil Nadu government’s Oddanchatram project would deprive the Bharathapuzha of its vital resource during the summer. We are worried about severe droughts in areas that depend on the Bharathapuzha during summer,” said Mr. Achuthan.
He said that considering the bitter experiences Kerala had with its neighbour in sharing of the water in the past, Tamil Nadu government might use the water for other purposes after taking it first for drinking water project.
“The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government should make an effective intervention to prevent the loss of water. The Oddanchatram project is certain to deplete Kerala’s share of water,” said Mr. Achuthan.
The Congress will stage a day-long dharna at Chittur on Thursday in protest against the project. Congress State vice president V.T. Balram will inaugurate the dharna.
“We want the State government to move legally against the Oddanchatram scheme. If the government fails in it, we will strengthen our agitation,” said Mr. Achuthan.
Farmers in several parts of Tamil Nadu too are agitating against the Oddanchatram drinking water project. They are opposing the project as they fear that it would deprive their source of water for irrigation.
