Checkdams across Aliyar river after getting Ker's nod: TN CM

Chief Minister K Palaniswami Wednesday told the Assembly that further action will be pursued on building checkdams at three locations across Aliyar river after getting Kerala's concurrence.

Replying to deputy Speaker and Pollachi MLA, V Jayaraman who sought checkdams across the Aliyar, Palaniswami said after talks with Kerala and following concurrence from the neighbour on the subject, further steps will be taken.

There is a proposal to build checkdams in three locations across Aliyar river, till the Manikadavu point, he said.

Building additional checkdams to store surplus rain water in the Parambikulam Aliyar project catchment areas (falling under assembly segments including Pollachi and Valparai) is under consideration, he pointed out.

"Estimates have been prepared for the proposal and it is under consideration," he announced.

Jayaraman urged the government to construct requisite number of checkdams in areas falling under Pollachi, Udumalaipettai, Kinathukadavu, and Valparai assembly constituencies to ensure that rain water does not empty into the Arabian sea via Kerala.

Last year alone, following rains in and around Parambikulam, Sholayar, and Aliyar dams, about 50 TMC of water "wastefully," ended up in the Arabian sea, he said.

To prevent this, he said checkdams should be constructed across west flowing rivers in these four assembly constituencies.

Also, such measures need to be pursued on need basis in other areas in the same region, so that farmers will be benefited.

Experts opined that if checkdams were constructed across Aliyar that traverses further to Kerala, two TMC of water could be stored, he said.

Such a measure would be useful for farmers and the water stored could also be released to the neighbouring State when it needed it, he said.

The MLA also sought implementation of the Anamalayaru-Nallaru project.