VELLORE: In what is considered to be a clear violation of inter-state river water sharing agreement, the authorities in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have set in motion masonry works to raise the height check dams across Palar River in Kuppam mandal.
Workers are in full swing with construction work at a check dam located at Gangunthi in Kuppam.
The level of the check dam, originally stood at 7 feet, was raised to 22 feet in 2014-15 and it is learnt to be increased to 40 feet now.
“They are going on with construction works at the Gangunthi check dam. We have come to know that the height is going to be increased to 40 feet,” president of Palar Protection Committee AC Venkatesan told Express on Tuesday.
He visited the site on Monday to find out the happenings, increasing height in the garb of rehabilitation of existing structures across Palar River which flows down to Tamil Nadu through Vellore and Kancheepuram districts before its confluence at Sathurangapatnam near Kalpakkam.
The previous regime in Andhra Pradesh led by N Chandrababu Naidu sanctioned Rs. 41.70 core for rehabilitation and renovation of existing check dams and raising news ones.
The activists belonging to Palar Protection Committee brought the matter to the notice of Tamil Nadu government, subsequently, a team of officials from Water Resources Department visited the neighbouring State to ascertain the facts. They were informed of the plan to construct 30 new check dams, besides rehabilitation of the existing ones.
Even after the change of guard, the new regime led by YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy gave the green signal to go ahead with the plan.
Palar Protection Committee, which has been fighting to save the river, wants Tamil Nadu government to immediately intervene on the issue and take suitable steps to halt increasing the height of check dams in Andhra Pradesh.
“A case on the construction of check dams has already been pending before the Supreme Court. Our state government can approach the court again with the plea to restrain Andhra Pradesh from going ahead with the plan for increasing height of the structures across Palar River,” Venkatesan suggested.
Meanwhile, top authorities of Tamil Nadu’s Water Resources Department have rushed to Andhra Pradesh to ascertain the fact about increasing the height of check dams.
“I am going to Gangunthi in Kuppam to personally see what is happening there. After ascertaining the facts, I will inform my higher authorities on the issue,” Anbarasu, Executive Engineer, WRD, Vellore, told Express.
It may be noted that Palar River, beginning its course in Tamil Nadu at Melpallathaur in Vaniyambadi, flows down for a distance of 222 km feeding hundreds of water tanks. But of late, the river has turned bone dry due to lack of adequate rains in the catchment areas and blocking of water at 42 check dams constructed by Andhra Pradesh government.
Five districts, including Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chennai, had benefited by the river.
Tamil Nadu’s share of water from the river is 40 tm as per the 1892 Madras-Mysore agreement.