Twin Kallar scheme, State’s shield against PAVLP

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor  

The Hindu, July 5, 2015 
 PATHANAMTHITTA
Faced with the threat posed by the Pampa-Achencoil-Vaipar Link Project (PAVLP) aimed at diverting a sizeable amount of water from the Pampa and Achencoil to the Vaipar in Tamil Nadu, the State government has taken up a Twin Kallar multipurpose scheme that would ensure conservation of the two river systems as well as the Vembanad wetlands.

Experts say the transfer of water from the Pampa and the Achencoil to the Vaipar river basin would prejudicially affect the rights and interests of Kerala and the people living in the downstream reaches. They said the Twin Kallar scheme was the only feasible project that would cater to the needs of the two river basins.

Peninsular scheme

The PAVLP had been included in the Peninsular River Development Scheme on the basis of a study conducted by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) in the Pampa and Achencoil two decades ago.

The NWDA had prepared a feasibility report for the PAVLP on the basis of the water balance study conducted in the 1980s. As per the study, the two Kerala rivers had 3,127 million cubic metres (mcm) of surplus water, after meeting all requirements of the State.

The PAVLP envisaged diversion of 634 mcm of water from these two rivers to the water-deficit Vaipar basin, which could irrigate an area of 91,000 ha in the drought-prone districts of Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, and Tuticorin, and generate 1,114 million units (mu) of hydel energy annually.

Rs.2,588-crore project

The project, estimated to cost Rs.2,588 crore, also envisaged regulated release of 150 mcm of water to Kerala during the lean period.

According to Mullaperiyar Special Cell chairman and former member of the Kerala State Electricity Board M.K. Parameswaran Nair, the PAVLP required construction of three dams in the Pampa Kallar, at Punnamedu, Achencoil Kallar, and in the Achencoil at Achencoil. The project would require 2,283 mu of power annually to lift the water to the Achencoil Kallar while the expected annual generation would be only 1,095 mu, he said.

Mr. Nair said the three PAVLP dams would submerge 2,004 ha of land, including 1,398 ha of virgin forests. The project, if implemented, would affect the wetland ecology of Vembanad, he said.

Mr. Nair was of the view that Kerala should pursue the Twin Kallar multi-purpose scheme, which could give additional power and water for irrigation and salinity extrusion.

Twin-Kallar is a moderate storage scheme with an installed capacity of 60 MW. But, the area of submergence under the Twin-Kallar scheme would be only 864 ha (301.9 ha for the Pampa-Kallar reservoir and 562.1 ha for the Achencoil-Kallar reservoir).

The project would cater to the summer needs of both the Pampa and Achencoil rivers, ultimately benefiting the Kuttanad region.