About 55,000 acres of arable land is irrigated through the Amaravati Dam in Tirupur district. Also, joint drinking water projects are being implemented. The sources of water for Amaravati Dam are Bambaru, Thenaru, Silanti River and Chinnar in Kerala.
At present, the state government is constructing a barrage across the river Spider at Vattavada in Idukki district of Kerala. Due to this there is a risk of reduction in the amount of water coming to Amaravati Dam, the demands of the Kerala government to stop the construction of the dam have intensified.
In this context, Marxist State Secretary K. Balakrishnan has stated in a statement that to supply drinking water to Vattavada Panchayat under Devi Kulam Taluk of Kerala State, construction of a barrage is being carried out across the spider river flowing in the area and funds have been allocated under the Jal Jeevan scheme to supply drinking water to Immalai Village Panchayat.
He said that all its tributaries, including Silandiaru and Amaravati, are connected to Cauvery irrigation, and pointed out that the Supreme Court has given a verdict in the Cauvery case that if dams and barrages are to be built in the catchment areas, the concerned state governments should consult with each other and take the permission of the Cauvery Management Authority.
Further, “Therefore, according to this judgment, the Kerala government should take up the barrage works only after obtaining the permission of the Tamil Nadu government or the Cauvery Management Authority. Until then, these works should be stopped,” he insisted.
While Pinarayi Vijayan-led Marxist government is going on in Kerala, Tamil Nadu Marxist’s statement is seen as important.
