Weir construction in Chilanthiyar dam erupts political controversy in Tamilnadu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the water department claims to have resolved the confusion in Tamil Nadu regarding the construction of a dam across Chilanthiyar in Idukki Vattavada panchayat, the opposition is using the issue as a weapon against the government in Tamil Nadu.

The opposition is propagating the weir as a dam. The Anna DMK and BJP's Tamil Nadu unit have criticized Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. In response, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin sent a letter to the Kerala government, complaining that they are trying to block the flow of water to the Amaravati river by building a dam.

Minister Roshi Augustine clarified that the water resources department is only constructing a weir for the drinking water project at Chilanthiyar in Vattavada. He said that Tamil Nadu's suspicion was due to a misunderstanding.

The weir is being constructed to regulate the water level at Chilanthiyar, a waterfall used for drinking water supply in Vattavada Panchayat under the Jaljeevan Mission project. This is for the convenience of pumping water. The project will provide clean drinking water to around seven thousand people. Chilanthiyar is the main source of fresh water in the panchayat. Pumping for drinking water is possible only if the water level is regulated at this source of drinking water. The regulated water will flow directly into the Amaravati River in Tamil Nadu. The benefit of the project is for the people belonging to the tribal Muthuvan community.

The minister also informed that the delegation of Tamil Nadu farmers and political parties who visited the construction site were convinced of the matter.

The issue of damming in Chilanthiyar has also become controversial amid protests in Tamil Nadu against the Karnataka government's announcement to build the Meghadadu dam.