The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Notice to Chief Secretary on groundwater extraction

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 05, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Notice to Chief Secretary on groundwater extraction

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, OCT. 4. The Madras High Court today ordered notice on a writ petition seeking an injunction restraining the authorities from extracting groundwater through borewells between Sethiathope and Panruti through Vadakuthu, Gadilam and Paravanaru, under the New Veeranam Project (NVP).

In the public interest litigation (PIL) filed before a Division Bench, comprising Justice K. Govindarajan and Justice S. Sardar Zackria Hussain, the petitioner said the sinking of giant borewells and extracting groundwater would render agriculture lands permanently unfit for cultivation.

The petitioner cited the Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary and the Managing Director, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board as respondents.

K. Sadagopan, State president, Pattali Vivasayi Sangam, a wing of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, submitted that the source of water for Veeranam lake was the Cauvery. Because of the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, water was not released into the Cauvery to Tamil Nadu. As a result, Kollidam, Vadavar and the Veeranam lake had become dry. Hence the Veeranam project could not be executed as originally planned.

The NVP cost about Rs. 720 crores. Since its implementation was a failure, the authorities decided to sink giant borewells to extract water and supply it to Chennai. Though sinking borewells was not mentioned in the original scheme, the wells had been sunk between Sethiathope and Panruti.

Mr. Sadagopan said the surrounding areas were already dry due to monsoon failure, affecting agriculture operations. That being so, extracting groundwater through giant borewells would make the water table go down further.

As a result, groundwater would be affected because of seawater incursion. The prospects for carrying out agricultural operations in the nearby areas would be extremely difficult. Cuddalore and Chidambaram areas would become deserts. The respondents sunk 45 borewells, close to one another, to 900 feet and nine crore litres of water was extracted daily.

Migration

The project would force the people of the locality to migrate to another place for livelihood. The people owning agriculture lands and living in the Gadilam-Paravanaru river segments were entitled to enjoy the groundwater available in their lands. The respondents' action was unreasonable and unjustifiable.

The petitioner prayed the court to appoint an expert committee and direct it to conduct an enquiry into the hardship that would be caused to the general public and agriculturists in and around the borewells.

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