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Data show violation of PAP pact by Tamil Nadu

PALAKKAD: Data available with the Joint Water Regulatory Board of the inter-State Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement show that Tamil Nadu has violated the pact most often since 1970-71 by not releasing Kerala’s due share of water to the Sholayar reservoir for the Chalakudy basin and at the Manacadavu weir for the Chitturpuzha irrigation scheme.

As per the PAP agreement, Tamil Nadu has to ensure 12.3 tmcft of water in the Kerala Sholayar a year for power generation and irrigation and drinking water needs. Also, it has to maintain a full reservoir level (FRL) of 2,663 feet every September 1 and February 1 in the Kerala Sholayar reservoir. But as far as September 1 is concerned Tamil Nadu has honoured the agreement only 12 times and has violated it 25 times during the last 37 years since 1970-71.

Tamil Nadu ensured FRL in the Kerala Sholayar in 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80 and 1980-81. Then for the next 10 years the neighbouring State continuously violated the agreement. The FRL was again maintained in 1991-92, 1993-94, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1990-00, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. On September 1 this year also Tamil Nadu violated the agreement.

A document prepared by the Joint Water Regulation Division for talks between the two States states that Tamil Nadu violates the agreement to maintain FRL at the Kerala Sholayar by not releasing sufficient quantity of water through Power House 2 and this results in loss to the tune of cores of rupees on the power front.

The situation is even worse in the case of February 1. During the last 37 years the reservoir has been maintained at the FRL only twice — in 1971-72 and in 2005-06.

An FRL on February 1 is of prime importance for Kerala since it assures the State of 5.42 tmcft of water for the lean months from February to May. This condition was incorporated in the PAP agreement to compensate for the inter-basin diversion of the Parambikulam, Peruvarippallom, Thunacadavu and Sholayar tributaries to the east.

Between 1970-71 and 2006-07 Tamil Nadu violated the agreement 12 times by not providing 7.25 tmcft at the Manacadavu weir for use in the Chitturpuzha. The agreed upon quantum of water was not given in 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1978-79, 1982-83, 1988-89, 1991-92, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, officials of the Kerala Water Resources Department say.

A supplementary memorandum for the review of agreements embodied in the PAP agreement, submitted by the Kerala government in 1992, says that before the construction of the Aliyar and the Thirumurthy dams the entire yield of the two dams along with the yield above Manacadavu was flowing into the Bharathapuzha making the entire basin cultivable. Since the agreement considered only the irrigation needs of Chittur taluk the Bharathapuzha practically dried up except during monsoon.

On the basis of the experience in the water management of the basin, the memorandum felt that at least 2.5 tmcft more should be released through the Manacadavu weir to meet the minimum needs of the Bharathapuzha basin, fixing the total supply through the weir at 9.75 tmcft.

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