The State government is taking all precautions to prevent the implementation of the Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar river link project, Water Resources Minister K. Krishnankutty informed the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
The Minister reiterated the Kerala Government’s stand on the issue in a written reply to the House.
More recently, the State Government had conveyed its opposition to Tamil Nadu, which is pushing for the project, at the meeting between Chief Ministers Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Pinarayi Vijayan held in Thiruvananthapuram on September 25 this year.
Kerala had also opposed the move at the sixth special general meeting of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) held on August 21 this year. The Union Jal Shakti Minister has given an assurance that river interlinking projects would be undertaken only with the approval of the States involved, Mr. Krishnankutty said.
The river link proposal, listed among the river linking projects of the NWDA, envisages diversion of 634 Mm3 of water from the Pamba and Achankovil rivers in Kerala to the Vaippar basin in Tamil Nadu. The project envisages irrigation of 91,400 hectares in Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, generation of 500 MW and regulated release of water during lean periods to Kerala.
