Despite floods in Andhra Pradesh, not a drop of water in Tamil Nadu’s stretch of Palar

VELLORE: Heavy rains lash Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu, but getting to see a drop of water in Palar, an erstwhile perennial inter-state river, remains a distant dream for farmers in Tamil Nadu. Reason: The Andhra Pradesh government has heightened 22 of 29 check dams across the river in recent years, violating the inter-state agreement between Tamil Nadu and AP. The downstream stretches of the river now wear a parched look.
Though the river runs for only 36km in Andhra Pradesh, the AP government constructed 29 check dams across the river till 2005.The last one at Perumpallam (TN calls it Pullur) is within half-a-km of AP-Tamil Nadu border. In the midst of the 2016 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and after the demise of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the neighbouring state raised the height of the structures in a hurry, and with impunity, farmers alleged. “The check dams have been heightened from five feet to 12ft. Water will flow into Tamil Nadu only if all the check dams overflow. Tamil Nadu government turned a blind eye when AP was violating the inter-state agreements. As a result, despite heavy rain in Karnataka (where the river originates) and AP, there is no water in the river,” said K Kanagaraj, a farmer of Thimmapet village.

Farmers fear that Andhra Pradesh public works department is planning to construct more check dams across Palar. While the agreements — Mysore-Madras of 1892 and Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 — protect the riparian rights of Tamil Nadu farmers, the purpose is completely defeated with the heightening of the check dams. Palar Protection Association, president A C Venkatesan said the livelihood of more than 4.5 lakh farmers has gone for a toss. “Because of Tamil Nadu’s slackness in protecting its rights, farmers are selling parched fields and migrating to urban centres as labourers,” he said. Perhaps, another spell of heavy rain in AP might bring water to Tamil Nadu, where the river traverses through 222km before ending in Bay of Bengal.
Though water is available just a few kilometres away in AP, about 40 nearby villages like Pullur, Avarangkuppam, Alasandhapuram, Chikkanangkuppam and Thimmapet in Tamil Nadu are struggling for water. “We are eagerly awaiting TN government’s next move,” said Ekambaram, a farmer from Alasandhapuram. Tamil Nadu government had moved a petition in the Supreme Court in 2016, challenging the unilateral action of the AP government in raising the height of the check dams. It wanted the original height of the check dams restored at Perumballam, Kanganahalli, Chittavoor and Kangundi. The case is coming up for hearing in the first week of September.