Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

PAP meet to discuss contentious issues

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Some of the contentious issues regarding water management under the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement between Kerala and Tamil Nadu will come up for discussion at the meeting between the Chief Secretaries of the two States later this month. The meeting is part of a long drawn out process to review the agreement which is pending since 1988. Meetings between Ministers of the two States from 1996 had failed to achieve the objective.

This time also the Chief Secretary-level discussions will be followed by talks between Ministers of the two States in charge of Water Resources. (Though the meeting had been originally scheduled for May 15, this has been postponed to the end of this month. No fresh date has been fixed. The agenda is also to be finalised.)

Tamil Nadu has long been demanding that it should be allowed to divert 2.5 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water from Anamalayar River to PAP system. As per the agreement, Kerala was to allow this on completion of the Idamalayar Hydro Electric Project. Though Idamalayar dam has been built, Kerala has not been agreeing to spare water from Anamalayar on the ground that the canal system is not complete.

Now, Kerala is unlikely to agree to spare water from Anamalayar as it is facing water shortages for the Idamalayar project. It might want to set off Tamil Nadu’s claim against natural flows being intercepted by the contour canal in the PAP system. These flows, which Kerala estimates to be about 4 tmcft, should have flowed into Bharatapuzha if not intercepted by the contour canal.

Following deliberations between the two States on this issue, a sub-committee had been set up to study it. Though the sub-committee met more than 20 times over several years, its report never came. At the Joint Water Regulation Board meeting last month, the sub-committee requested six more months to complete the study.

Kerala did not agree to that and insisted that an interim report should be furnished on the studies conducted by Tamil Nadu authorities so far for verification of Kerala’s claim about the quantum of water intercepted. Tamil Nadu has agreed to submit such a report before the meeting between the Chief Secretaries. Further deliberations on the issue would depend on this report.

A related issue will be Tamil Nadu’s demand to permit use of the entire yield at Upper Nirar without restriction from October 1 to January 31 during every water year. Kerala is now getting 1.3 tmcft which flows into Idamalayar. Kerala may not agree to forego this.

Kerala is also refusing to account inflows received upon Tamil Nadu releasing flood waters through Manacadavu weir last year without out an intend from the Kerala side. Tamil Nadu had released 10.5 tmcft during the monsoon against a 4 tmcft average in normal years from June to November. Tamil Nadu demands that 3.2 tmcft, required to be released by it during the period under terms of the agreement, should be accounted as received. However, Kerala objects to this on the ground that the unexpected release of water by Tamil Nadu during heavy rain caused floods and damage in Kerala. It also complains that even the promised quantity of water from Tamil Nadu Sholayar was not released in December last year. Kerala would have badly needed that water from March, April and May this year, but for the summer rain that saved Chalakkudy basin from severe shortage of water during those months.

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