Tamil Nadu, India: More than 500 farmers gathered near the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) office in Pongalur, Tiruppur district, on March 1, demanding that the State government announce a definite timeline for implementing the Anamalaiyaru–Nallaru project.
The demonstration was organised by the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association. Eswaran, the association’s Tiruppur district secretary, said the project had remained pending for several decades and urged that it be taken up without further delay once the elections conclude, The Hindu reported.
“We want whichever party forms the government after the elections to declare a clear implementation timeline for the project,” he said.
According to him, the Anamalaiyar and Nallaru sub-projects are components of the 1958 Parambikulam Aliyar Project agreement, which aimed to utilise 50 tmc ft of water from west-flowing rivers, including Kerala’s allocated share of 19.55 tmc ft. The agreement also envisaged diverting 2,500 mcft of water annually into the PAP system following the construction of the Idamalayar Dam in Kerala.
Farmers noted that although the Idamalayar Dam was completed in 1985, work on the Anamalaiyar project has yet to progress. They alleged that in years of heavy rainfall, surplus water, estimated at up to 8.5 tmc ft, flows into the sea without being effectively utilised.
They added that the proposed scheme would expand irrigation in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts, benefiting more than 2.5 lakh acres of agricultural land.