THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Farmers in the district are apprehensive as Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has started to lay pipelines from Neyyar dam to Aruvikkara reservoir to meet city's drinking water need. However, officials reassure that there is enough water for both irrigation and drinking purposes in Neyyar dam even if monsoons are delayed. The present level of water at Neyyar dam is just over 74 metres. The maximum drawable water here is up to 65 metre. Two canals from the Neyyar dam, managed by irrigation officials, are the lifelines for farmlands that cover a large area of Thiruvananthapuram.
Also, the level of water in wells in the area is closely related to the frequency at which water is released through the canal. The water levels drop quickly in Neyyar dam compared to Peppara as larger quantity of water is required for irrigation than drinking purposes, says farmer groups. "My plantains are dependent on the water that is drawn from left bank canal. During heavy winds last year, we had suffered crop loss and the government has not compensated it yet. So we hope strict rationing of water is done on water from Peppara dam, so that city sail through the drought," said S Viswabaran who resides near Keezharoor.
However, KWA officials says that even with the higher rate of evaporation in summer the water won't drop anywhere closer to dead stock in Neyyar. "We are only apprehensive about the seepage loss that will happen when water is drained through canals. Not even half of the water to be pumped out of Neyyar might reach Aruvikkara," said an official. The Neyyar -Aruvikkara linking project was envisaged during the Chief Ministership of C Achutha Menon. However, water would not flow down naturally to Aruvikkara like it would have been in the 1975 as the levels are around 7 metres lower than what it was then.
