The BJP has appealed to Governor R.N. Ravi to direct the Tamil Nadu Government to initiate steps for repairing and strengthening the Shenbagavalli check dam in the Western Ghats beyond Vasudevanallur in Tenkasi district.
It is a five-decade-old unresolved inter-State water dispute depriving lakhs of farmers of Tenkasi, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi districts of their livelihood.
In a memorandum submitted to Mr. Ravi recently, district BJP president and founder of Voice of Tenkasi Ananthan Ayyasamy said the check dam was built at the confluence of two jungle streams in Periyar Basin in Kerala, and the structure was situated about a mile from Kerala – Tamil Nadu border. The check dam was believed to be built in 1733 by Sivagiri Zamindar after getting permission from the then rulers of Travancore and Cochin.
The check dam effectively diverted the wild streams into Rasingaperi and Kulasekaraperi tanks in Sivagiri taluk in the district through Kanyamadagu channel and was the primary source of water for cultivation of over 12,000 acres of land in Sivagiri, Sankarankoil and Thiruvengadam areas of Tenkasi district, Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district and Vilaththikulam in Thoothukudi district.
The Tamil Nadu Public Works Department repaired minor breaches in Kanyamadagu channel and Shenbagavalli check dam between 1959 and 1962. However, breaches were again reported in 1967 due to a major flood in the Western Ghats. The Tamil Nadu Government, after discussing the issue with the Kerala Government, paid ₹5.15 lakh to the latter in 1986 as 50% advance of the estimated repair and strengthening cost.
However, the Kerala Government did not repair the check dam and returned the money to the Tamil Nadu Government in 2006. The matter was now with the Technical Committee of Cauvery Administrative Tribunal.
“Despite multiple rounds of discussions between the Governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the past 18 years, the matter remains unresolved. Hence, the Governor may direct the Tamil Nadu Government to pursue other avenues, including the intervention of the Government of India or the Supreme Court, for repairing the check dam at the earliest and the channel to save the livelihood of millions in three districts,” said Mr. Ananthan Ayyasamy.
Published - February 11, 2025 07:30 pm IST
