Kollam Technopark caught up in water row

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the state government boasts of a pro-investor climate in the state, the Technopark-Kollam has been caught up in trouble owing to local protests over taking water from a nearby water body.

Even as the matter has been brought to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's notice, the local panchayat headed by his own party member is adamant on the stand citing water scarcity in the locality.

The park authorities are now pinning hopes on convincing the local people about the water availability as the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) is doing an analysis.

Owing to the stalemate in getting water, Technopark-Kollam authorities are not even able to give a positive reply to enquires for acquiring space on the one-lakh square feet facility with special economic zone, which is expected to generate around 10,000 jobs.

Technopark-Kollam is situated on 44 acres of land at Kundara, about 20 kilometres from Kollam city, on the banks of Kanjirode lake, a tributary of Ashtamudi lake.

Though a formal commissioning of the facility was getting delayed due to these pending issues, some small firms had already started working from there.

The trouble started once the Technopark authorities began  laying pipe to get water from Chittumala embankment under East Kallada panchayat.  

The local people led by panchayat president Maya Devi of Congress opposed the move maintaining that already the area was facing acute water shortage.   

“Wells in the locality are getting dried during summer. Hence we oppose taking water from Chittumala chira,” she said.

Though some IT department officials brought th matter to the notice of the Chief Minister, the priority of the panchyat would be drinking water for  the people.

“The Technopark authorities should have made arrangements for water prior toconstruction and not afterwards,”  she said.

Technopark chief executive officer K.G. Girish Babu said that the Kerala Water Authority had conducted a study and reported that there was no  water scarcity in the locality.  

“Moreover Technopark-Kollam intends to take only one million litres per day which would not affect the embankment much,” he  said.

Following the issue, the  government has now asked the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management to have a fresh analysis of the water availability in the area, based on which further steps would be taken.

Water from other nearby water bodies could not be taken due to salinity. At present the park is taking water in tankers to meet daily needs.