10 mcft of water is being released into the Aliyar dam daily: Coimbatore district collector

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar said on Saturday that 10 mcft of water is being released into the Aliyar dam per day from Upper Aliyar and Kadamparai dams as per the existing plan, and it is likely to be increased as requested by farmers who benefit from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP).During the farmers’ grievance redressal meeting held at the Coimbatore district collectorate on Thursday, PAP Thirumoorthy Reservoir Project Committee president Medical K Paramasivam submitted a petition to the district collector.Paramasivam said farmers had earlier requested that 1,000 million cubic feet (1 TMC) of water be released into Aliyar dam from Upper Aliyar and Kadamparai dams — 400 million cubic feet in December and 600 million cubic feet in January — and the request had received concurrence from Kadamparai power station authorities and the Pollachi water resources department.

However, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has reportedly refused to release water from the dams to Aliyar, which could affect farmers in the old and new ayacut areas of Aliyar in Kerala. He said there were attempts to divert water flowing from Parambikulam dam through the Contour canal to Thirumoorthy dam towards Aliyar dam.“At a time when the first round of irrigation in the Thirumoorthy command area is under way, diverting water meant for Thirumoorthy to Aliyar will severely affect farmers across 10 assembly constituencies,” he said.

Paramasivam added that if water supply to Kerala from Aliyar is stopped, there is a possibility that Kerala could halt the Siruvani drinking water supply used by Coimbatore city residents. He urged authorities to release the promised 1 TMC of water from Upper Aliyar and Kadamparai dams to Aliyar without delay.Responding to the grievance, the collector said the issue had been escalated to TNPDCL for necessary action. “Currently, 10 mcft of water per day is being released as per the existing plan, and a likely increase in discharge will be followed up with TNPDCL in the coming days,” he said.