NAGERCOIL: It has been 16 years since Kerala stopped releasing water from Neyyar dam into Neyyar Edathukarai Canal. And, the farmers in the district are expecting a favourable outcome at the principal secretary-level talks between Kerala and Tamil Nadu set to be held on Friday.
After Kerala stopped releasing water into the channel in 2004, agricultural lands in Vilavancode taluk and the newly created Killiyoor taluk in the district have been affected.
Retired Assistant Executive Engineer of Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department, A Mohana Dhas, told TNIE that the Neyyar dam project was part of the first five year plan and the dam was constructed in Thiruvananthapuram district when the present Kanniyakumari district was with Travancore state.
He pointed out that the dam was constructed for irrigating the lands in Thiruvananthapuram, Neyyathinkarai and Vilavacode taluks (Now Vilavancode taluk is in Kanniyakumari district), noting that Tamil Nadu has the right to get water as out of the total the 140 sq kilometre catchment area of the dam, 12. 9 square kilometres is in Tamil Nadu at present.
Welcoming the talks, Vilavancode MLA S Vijayadharani, said she strongly believed the talks would yield positive results, benefitting the farmers of Vilavancode taluk.
Killiyoor MLA S Rajesh Kumar said the livelihood of farmers has been affected as water was not being released into the canal. "The farmers are now going for construction works in Kerala," he said.
Kodayar Irrigation System Chairman A Vins Anto said that Tamil Nadu has the right to receive water from Neyyar Edathukarai canal as water from the hills in Kanniyakumari also flows to the dam.
A farmer Sathish Gobinath from Malaicode in Vilavancode taluk said that his father had cultivated paddy in the lands but now he is unable to cultivate paddy, plantains or vegetables in their lands as the land has turned barren.