As TN opens Aliyar dam, Kerala stops water from Siruvani

At a meeting between officials of both states on Sunday, TN officials agreed to release water from Aliyar, while irrigation department officials of Kerala said they would stop water release from the dam. 

According to sources in the TWAD, Tamil Nadu released about 450 cusecs of water from the Aliyar dam through Manakkadavu sluice to Chittur Taluk in Palakkad district around 9am. Soon after, the sluices of the Siruvani dam were shut by Kerala.

The neighbouring state began to draw excess water from the Siruvani dam by opening its sluices. As Kerala began to draw up to 90 cusecs of water from Siruvani, the level in the dam started to dip sharply sparking worries of water trouble in Coimbatore. 

Though the dam is located in Kerala, it serves as a primary source of drinking water for people in Coimbatore. Eight crore litres of drinking water is drawn daily from the dam, which currently has a storage of 36 feet, compared to its full capacity of 50 feet. 

As water was drawn without informing Tamil Nadu, officials believed it to be a move by Kerala to pressure TN for water from Aliyar. Farmers in Kerala protested recently blocking vehicle entry into the state demanding release of the remaining 1.25 tmc of water from the Aliyar dam. 

“Currently, we are releasing 450 cusecs of water from Aliyar dam and the remaining will be released before the end of water year on June 30. We couldn’t give the full water immediately as it may affect 17,200 acres of old and new ayacut areas in Pollachi. There is shortage of water due to failed monsoon,” said an official. 

Meanwhile, political parties in Tamil Nadu have expressed anguish and decided to petition Pollachi Sub Collector Gayathri Krishnan on Monday against releasing water from Aliyar ignoring the needs of farmers.