Ensure drinking water, irrigation in Kanniyakumari district: Palaniswami urges DMK government

Former CM Palaniswami urges DMK govt. to take steps to ensure irrigation of farmlands in Kanniyakumari district by desilting water bodies. Water storage low in multiple dams, affecting farmers. AIADMK govt. allocated ₹250 cr for Nagercoil drinking water scheme, yet works not completed 27 months later.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on August 6 urged the DMK government to take steps to ensure the irrigation of farmlands in the Kanniyakumari district, by desilting the water bodies in that district.

In a statement, Mr. Palaniswami said there was water scarcity for farming as well as drinking water purposes allegedly due to the misadministration of the DMK government.

He pointed out that water in Pechiparai dam stood at 28.26 feet, against its capacity of 48 feet, while the same stood at 24.25 feet in Perunchani even though its capacity was 77 feet. He also said the water storage was low in Chittar I and II, Pogai, Mambalathuraiyaru and Mukkudal dams in Kanniyakumari districts.

The former CM claimed that these water bodies were regularly desilted during the erstwhile AIADMK regime to protect the interests of farmers. During the AIADMK regime, irrigation was ensured in about 25,000 acres of farmlands, he said but, under the DMK regime, since there was no desilting in Kanniyakumari district, farming was taken up only in 14,250 acres.

Mr. Palaniswami charged that water was released in only four of the seven channels for irrigation in that district and it did not reach the tail-end areas, since these channels were not de-silted. The former CM further charged that farmers were affected by the lack of water for their crops. “Water could be released to Radhapuram only if water stood above 40 feet in Kothaiyar dam. It is the government’s duty to follow these rules.”

The AIADMK leader recalled the releasing of water from Pechiparai dam on June 1 in violation of rules only to be stopped soon. “Farmers in Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli district are frequently affected due to the releasing of water by violating these rules.”

Mr. Palaniswami said though the AIADMK government allocated ₹250 crore for implementing a drinking water programme for Nagercoil city under the AMRUT scheme, it has been 27 months since the DMK government assumed office but the works have not been completed as yet.