Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution against Kerala’s Attappady Valley irrigation project on the Siruvani River.
The proposal to build the gravity dam — called Attapady Valley Irrigation Project — was discussed by the EAC at a meeting in March this year.
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects, which has recommended grant of standard Terms of Reference (ToR) for the proposal to build a gravity dam across Siruvani river, had ealier directed the project proponent — the Water Resources Department (WRD) of Kerala Government — to obtain comments from Tamil Nadu.
The Kerala Government’s argument is that there are no major or medium retaining structures in the command area of the project.
Most of the irrigation facilities are privately owned lift irrigation systems which are confined to small patches, and the farmers, mainly tribals, relied mainly on rain-fed agriculture.