Idukki: A check dam across the Silandhi river has become a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A one-meter-high and 40-meter-long check dam is being constructed at Rs 22 crore under the Kerala Water Authority's Jala Jeevan project. This is being done as part of a drinking water scheme which will be beneficial for six wards of Vattavada Gram Panchayat.
Vattavada Panchayat President Ganapathyammal said that the check dam will be a relief to the people of Vattavada Gram Panchayat who face acute drinking water shortage.
Tamil Nadu opposes the construction saying that the check dam will block the inflow of water to the Amaravati dam and many farmers will be affected. The water of the rivers originating in the forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is intercepted by the Amaravati Dam and used for agriculture and other purposes on an area of 54,637 acres in the Tirupur and Karur districts.
Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have raised concerns over the construction of a check dam. According to reports, the Tamil Nadu government has made it clear that it will oppose any bid to violate the verdict on the Cauvery water dispute by neighbouring states.