Tamil Nadu drags Andhra to Supreme Court over Palar check dam row

The irrigation department of Andhra Pradesh government has been reportedly carrying out work to increase the height of the check dam from 5 feet to 12 feet across Palar at Perumpallam in Chittoor district. 

The move of the Andhra government has caused tension in Tamil Nadu as the Palar is an inter-state river flowing in both the states. Earlier this month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his intervention in the issue. 

Following this, the Tamil Nadu counsel Balaji on Monday filed a petition in the apex court seeking direction to the Andhra Pradesh government to stop work on raising the height of the check dam. 

The counsel in his petition said that around 4.20 lakh acres were irrigated by Palar. Further, a majority of farmers in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu were dependent only on Palar water for all agricultural activities. Besides, Palar was the main source of drinking water for residents in most of the northern districts. Apart from this, the Kalpakkam atomic plant also relied only on Palar for its water needs, the petition said.

The petition also pointed out that as per the 1892 Madras-Mysore agreement, Andhra Pradesh, from where the Palar originates, cannot carry out any construction activity like construction of dams, check dams, diversion of water or any other form of concrete structure to store water, without the permission of Tamil Nadu, the state receiving the river. 

Already, the Tamil Nadu had moved a petition objecting to any construction on the Palar on February 10, 2006. Despite this, the latest move by Andhra Pradesh government to raise the height of the check dam has evoked strong condemnation from the people and political parties in Tamil Nadu. 

So, the Supreme Court should direct the Andhra Pradesh not to increase the height of the check dam to ensure that Tamil Nadu gets its usual quantum in the Palar, the petition appealed.