Amidst concerns of Tamil Nadu, Kerala gets wildlife clearance for Silandhi river check dam in Idukki

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The National board for wildlife (NBWL) has issued clearance to the Kerala water authority (KWA) to construct a check dam across the Silandhi river in Vattavada, Idukki. Tamil Nadu has raised serious objections to the project saying that it would affect the inflow of water into the Amaravathy river. TN Chief Minister M K Stalin had sent a letter to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan calling for measures to immediately halt the construction of the check dam across the Silandhi river.
The farmers in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu have raised strong protests against the project. According to the farmers, the construction of a weir across the Silandhi river would affect water flow to Amaravathi dam which is the major source of irrigation for farmlands in Tirupur and Karur.
The NBWL considered an application for the use of 0.0442 ha of forest land from Anamudi Shola national park for the construction of a weir across the Silandhi river in Vattavada panchayat as part of Jal Jeevan mission (JJM) project. The Chief Wild Life Warden of Kerala, the State board for wildlife and the Kerala government have already approved the project.
In May 2024, the National Green Tribunal (South Zone) directed the Government of Kerala, the Water Resources Department (WRD) and the Forest Department to ensure that all the required approvals for such construction of check dam are in place, as it involves two states; Kerala and Tamil Nadu It was also directed that if there are no proper approvals for the construction of check dam let the project proponent withhold the project till such time the appropriate approvals are granted.
The KWA filed a report in NGT in July 2024. KWA is constructing a weir of size 45m long and 1m high across the river. It was stated that considering the consumptive use of 20%, the proposed annual utilization is well within the domestic water allocation of 0.02 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) in the Pambar sub-basin of Kerala.
As per the minutes of the latest NBWL meeting, the Standing Committee decided to recommend the proposal subject to eight conditions. It has been directed that the work shall be completed within one year from the date of sanction. Besides an annual compliance certificate on the stipulated conditions shall be submitted by the user agency to the Chief Wild Life Warden and an annual compliance certificate shall be submitted by the State Chief Wild Life Warden to the Government.
The project aims to provide functional household tap connections to 617 households in the first phase in Vattavada panchayat. According to the application submitted by the KWA, in the envisaged project area, there are no protected water sources and no piped water facilities. The mission's goal is to provide tap water connections and ensure that every home receives drinking water in adequate quantity and prescribed quality on a regular and long-term basis, the KWA pointed out.

The proposal for the project is to construct a weir in the Silandhi river to ensure a stable and sufficient supply of raw water for the proposed 3 MLD water treatment plant at Silandhiyar Karuppasamy Temple. Even though the panchayat is located on the eastern side of the Western Ghats, no perennial streams and rivers flow across the panchayat, the document cites.
KWA notes in the report that the groundwater potential is also very low, and acute scarcity of drinking water is felt in all seasons. Silandhiyar is the only perennial stream available in Vattavada Panchayat. Collecting raw water for treatment requires ensuring a sufficient quantity at the extraction point.
The quantity of water drawn from the stream is only 0.0386 TMC, which is within the limit of the Cauvery Tribunal's direction. Therefore, constructing a weir is necessary to create a ponding effect, stabilizing the water level and facilitating uninterrupted water extraction. The objective of the JJM project is to provide water to every household in Vattavada panchayat, which cannot be achieved without this component, according to the project note.