Thiruvananthapuiram: In an attempt to curb Tamil Nadu’s push for the Pampa-Achenkovil-Vaipar project, KSEB Limited has revived the 60 MW Twin Kallar Multipurpose scheme that was dropped earlier as the project cost was prohibitive and involved the submergence of over 1,200 hectare of forest land.
The project will involve the construction of two major dams — one across Achankovil and the other across Pampa. KSEB authorities were not sure whether the project would be approved, but a recent board of directors meeting urgently accorded the sanction of the Rs 1887-crore project.
“The intention of the meeting was to expedite the implementation of the Twin Kallar Multipurpose Project in the light of the sustained effort by Tamil Nadu for approval of the Pampa-Achankovil-Vaipar Link Project and the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court for the same," a top KSEB official said.
The Pampa-Achekovil-Vaipar Link (PAVL) project, proposed by Tamil Nadu, seeks to divert 634 million cubic metre of water from Pampa to Vaipar to irrigate 91,400 hectares of land in the drought-prone districts of the state. KSEB however, through studies pointed out that the PAVL project would destroy Kuttanad rice farming, kill the ecologically sensitive Vembanad wetland ecosystem and also damage the biodiversity of the Western Ghats.
“Tamil Nadu’s argument has been that Pampa has excess unutilised water. But now, by reviving the Twin Kallar, the KSEB is attempting to establish that the waters of its rivers are required for the state's power and agriculture needs," a source said.
The Twin Kallar project is expected to irrigate 7,045 hectare of cultivated land in the Achankovil basin. The water, sources said, would be part of the water supply scheme to the towns on the bank of the Achenkovil river, the Kuttanad backwater and to meet the the water demand of NTPC plant at Kayamkulam.
