Jayalalithaa objects to increase in height of Palar dam
Jayalalithaa wrote to N. Chandrababu Naidu mentioning that the action of Andhra Pradesh on Palar dam is a violation of the Madras-Mysore Agreement
Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Friday wrote to Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu objecting to the increase in the height of a check dam across the Palar river and said that the unilateral action by authorities in the neighbouring state had caused great alarm and apprehension.
“I wish to bring to your urgent notice an important issue relating to the action of the irrigation department of the government of Andhra Pradesh to increase the height of the check dam from the existing height of 5ft to 12ft across the Palar river at Perumballam village, in Chittoor district near the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border," the letter stated.
The five northern districts of Tamil Nadu—Vellore, Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Thiruvallur and Chennai—are fed by the Palar, which rises in the Nandi Hills, in Kolar district of Karnataka. The river flows through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu before entering the Bay of Bengal at Vayalur, south of Chennai.
The river supports irrigation in an area of about 420,000 acres in Tamil Nadu and is also a major source of drinking water for several towns and villages. Water from Palar is also supplied to the atomic power station at Kalpakkam.
The letter called the action of Andhra Pradesh a violation of the Madras-Mysore Agreement, 1892.
It also mentioned that Palar is one of the rivers mentioned in Schedule A, annexed to the Madras-Mysore Agreement. As per the agreement, the upstream state should not, without the consent of the downstream state of Tamil Nadu, build any dam or structure to obstruct, divert or store the waters of 15 rivers.
“I also request you to immediately intervene in the matter and issue instructions to the officials concerned to take urgent steps to reduce the level of the check dam to its original level and not store water additionally, and ensure the natural flows to Tamil Nadu. I look forward to your immediate positive response in the matter," said Jayalalithaa.
Palar, which has been dry for over a decade, witnessed flows during the December rains that lashed Chennai and other districts of Tamil Nadu. In the past few months, farmers around Vellore and nearby districts have voiced concern over construction works undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government and have urged the Tamil Nadu government to take action.
The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had also pushed the government to take action.
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