Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh dams

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday moved the Supreme Court to restrain Andhra Pradesh from constructing check dams or raising the height of existing ones across the Palar river.

In a suit filed through its counsel B. Balaji, the Tamil Nadu government said that the unilateral action by AP, by increasing the height of the existing check dams and constructing new check dams across the Palar river and its tributaries in gross violation of the 1892 agreement, has seriously affected not only the irrigation interests, but also the drinking water supply in the northern  districts of Tamil Nadu.

It said that the diminution of flows in the river will aggravate pollution problems affecting the inhabitants living along the banks of the river. It will further seriously cause damage to the drinking water supply systems depending on the Palar river.

Quoting various media reports, the state said that new canals are being formed to divert the excess water from the check dams to nearby irrigation tanks. These check dams or diversion structures, if allowed to proceed, will obstruct the natural flows due to Tamil Nadu consequently affect the people depending on the water for drinking water supply and the livelihood of farmers.

As a riparian state, TN is entitled to and has been using the waters of the river Palar and its rivulets etc. The inhabitants of the districts lying within the Palar Basin of Plaintiff State have been utilising the waters of Palar River and its tributaries, both for their irrigation and drinking water requirements, from time immemorial and it is covered by an agreement in 1892.

The Palar river is already deficit in water supply. It receives flows for a very short duration during the monsoon period. The supplies received from the river are barely sufficient to meet the existing irrigation demands for an ayacut of over 4.20 lakh acres in the northern districts in TN.

The TN government said that the Centre is duty bound to ensure that, none of the riparian states steal a march over the other by undertaking construction or execution of any works either small or big or raising the height of check dam or diversion structure relating to the use, control and distribution of waters of an Inter-State River Palar either in the main river or its tributaries which may defeat the right of the other riparian State.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written several letters to her counterpart in AP to stop the construction activities but the construction is continuing and hence the present suit to injunct AP from proceeding further with any construction.