Pulppalli: The Kerala government has invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for two proposed dam projects on the Thondar and Kadamanthodu rivers in Wayanad district.

The government had earlier accorded administrative sanction and allocated ₹5.15 crore for the projects in July. The Kadamanthodu Dam is planned at Pulppalli panchayat in Sulthan Bathery taluk, while the Thondarnadu Dam will come up in the Edavaka and Thondarnadu panchayats under Mananthavady taluk.

Both projects aim to harness water from the Kabani basin in accordance with the directive of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), ensuring effective utilisation of 21 TMC of water allocated to Wayanad district.

According to an Irrigation Department official, the DPR must be completed within six months of awarding the contract. The Central Water Resources Commission (CWRC) will evaluate the report before granting final clearance. The Cauvery Division of the Irrigation Department has already prepared a preliminary report based on a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey, which will be handed over to the selected DPR-preparing agency.

Only nationally reputed agencies empanelled with the Central Water Commission (CWC) and experienced in similar DPR works will be considered for selection.

On concerns raised by residents about the potential impact of the projects, the official said the DPR will detail the exact dam locations, reservoir levels, areas likely to be submerged, and infrastructure requiring relocation. During the LiDAR survey, officials had indicated that parts of Pulppalli town’s lower area, Thazhathangadi, might be slightly affected by the Kadamanthodu dam project.

Funding will not be a constraint for completing the DPR, as the Centre has already released nearly half the total amount earmarked for the projects.

The CWDT, constituted in 1990 following Tamil Nadu’s claim over Cauvery waters, allocated 30 TMC annually to Kerala in 2007 — including 20.56 TMC for Wayanad. However, the district currently utilises only around 4 TMC.

The only major project so far tapping Kabani’s waters is the Karappuzha Dam (2.78 TMC). Though several check-dams exist across the basin, most are now defunct.

The revised Kadamanthodu project has a proposed capacity of 0.51 TMC, scaled down from the earlier plan of 1.53 TMC to reduce social impact after widespread protests. The mini dam is expected to have a length of 490 metres, a height of 28 metres, and a reservoir area of 123 hectares.