After independence, there have been several instances of one state blaming another state at the time of water shortage for violating inter-state water-sharing agreements. But what is less known is that Kerala provided water from its southernmost river, the Neyyar, to Tamil Nadu without any formal and written agreement for more than 40 years. It was only an understanding that maintained the water supply for the irrigation needs of Vilavancode taluk of Kanniyakumari district, which was a part of the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin (TC) state until 1956.
When the Neyyar Irrigation Project began in 1951, it was a venture of the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin state, but by the time it came to fruition, the project had become a joint Kerala-Madras scheme. Unfortunately, this project – at one time, a healthy example of inter-state accommodation – also fell victim to water politics in 2004, and for almost 15 years, the two states have been fighting a legal battle.
It all started exactly 68 years ago when the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Neyyar Left Bank Canal Scheme in Kaliyakkavilai village (now, a town panchayat) in Vilavancode taluk. The event marked the official beginning of water supply for irrigation in the area. On this occasion he received a congratulatory message from his Kerala counterpart EMS Namboodiripad. Interestingly, Kamaraj and EMS belonged to two different schools of political thought – the first was a staunch Congressman and the second was a staunch Left.
The Kanyakumari branch of the Left Bank Canal of the Neyyar Irrigation Project, inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu K. Kamaraj did it. Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives
The project was designed to irrigate 36,000 acres, including about 9,000 acres of land in the Kanniyakumari district of Madras. “The land benefiting from the scheme is estimated to yield an additional 20,000 tonnes of rice per year,” the report said. The Hindu At the time of commissioning of the dam on February 10, 1959. Apart from the dam being a masonry structure, the water body has two main canals, each with a head discharge of 300 cubic feet per second (cusec).
Another report in this newspaper on July 29, 1958 quoted Kamaraj as saying that the Neyyar Irrigation Scheme was the first of several improvement schemes for the Kanniyakumari district after the merger of Travancore-Cochin State with Tamil Nadu State (then known as Madras), and that his government had spent about one crore rupees. He further stated that “Even now doubts often arise among some people of the Kanniyakumari district as to whether they were wise in acceding to Madras State, but it was the responsibility of the Madras Government to remove such doubts by showing that they were better off now than before.”
P. Kakkan, the then Public Works Minister, A. Nesamani, Member of Legislative Assembly, R. Tirumalai, who was the first district collector after the merger and who later wrote a seminal publication on the sociological history of the ancient township of Pandian Township, and U. Anand Rao, Chief Engineer (Irrigation) who played an important role in the construction of many dams in the state during the 1940s and 1950s, was present on the occasion. Talking about the project, Rao said it involves construction of a dam on the Neyyar River at Chempilamodu (Kerala), about 30 km east of Thiruvananthapuram city, and digging of canals on the north and south banks of the river.
The harmony between the two states was such that Tamil Nadu Governor Bishnu Ram Medhi congratulated his Kerala counterpart B. Announced the opening of the dam in the presence of Ramakrishna Rao. Interestingly, both were former chief ministers, the first of the north-eastern state of Assam and the second of Hyderabad state (1952–56). Medhi described the ₹3.2 crore Neyyar project as “a symbol of inter-state cooperation”, while Rao said the project “symbolizes our hopes and aspirations for greater cooperation between neighboring states.” It was around this time that the division of the Parambikulam and Aliyar rivers between the two states was agreed upon.
On February 12, 1959, The HinduIn its editorial, it praised the project calling it “more than that (being a symbol of inter-state co-operation). It is another example of the new realism and a talent for compromise and adjustment that has characterized the relations between the sister states of Kerala and Madras in harnessing river water that is being lost to the sea.”
Four years later, the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Kamaraj and R. Shankar was at the main sluice site of the Neyyar Dam at Inchivila, about 45 km from Thiruvananthapuram, to announce the opening of the Kanniyakumari branch of the Left Bank Canal.
At that time, Shankar made a comment that still resonates today. He said there was a “perception outside Kerala” that the state was not fully utilizing its water resources and much of it drained into the Arabian Sea. This assumption was not correct and that every drop of water was being used by the State for irrigation and power projects, Mr. Shankar claimed, according to a report in this newspaper on April 26, 1963, that the State would make available to Tamil Nadu whatever water was left after meeting the State’s requirements.
The absence of a formal agreement had irked Tamil Nadu, with only 3,370 acres of the originally envisaged 9,200 acres being developed in Vilavancode. It presented a draft agreement to Kerala in 1971, suggesting that the state share the maintenance costs as they did in the case of capital expenditure. But, no significant progress was made. Yet, Kerala continued to supply water – about 150 cusecs – to Tamil Nadu without any hassle for almost 40 years from 1965, when the canal project was operational.
The south-west monsoon arrived in 2003, when Kerala experienced a rainfall deficit of 33%. Earlier that year, when the General Council of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) met in New Delhi to discuss diverting west-flowing rivers – the Pamba and Achankovil – eastwards and linking them to Vappar in Tamil Nadu, Kerala strongly opposed the proposal.
A report said, “Time and again, Kerala has expressed strong views against long-distance inter-basin water transfer proposals, which are likely to create complex water management problems. This is even more so where the full consent of the affected states has not been obtained.” The Hindu Dated 27 March 2003, as stated by Kerala Water Resources Minister T.M. Jacob had told in the meeting.
NWDA, which functions under the control of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, assisted the task force constituted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Center on interlinking of rivers by conducting pre-feasibility and feasibility studies of 30 identified links. Tamil Nadu, being a strong proponent of inter-basin transfer of river water, was strongly supporting the Central Government’s efforts.
This was when Kerala decided to take strict action regarding sharing of water resources. On 6 August 2003, the state assembly “unanimously” adopted a resolution urging the NWDA to drop the proposal. Five days later, Jacob brought the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Bill, which, among other things, sought to bring inter-state river water agreements under the purview of the state legislature and prohibit interlinking of river waters. As soon as the bill was passed, it got the approval of the then Governor Sikandar Bakht. It was against this backdrop that the Kerala government stopped the supply of Neyyar river water through the canal to Vilavancode in February 2004. Tamil Nadu complained that its neighbour’s decision was “sudden”.
When the AK Antony-led Kerala government decided to stop the supply, Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. In contrast to his stance on the Cauvery issue, where he strongly attacked Karnataka, his response to that of Neyyar was muted. In September 2005, The Hindu, Citing Jayalalitha’s speech in the Assembly, it was reported that her government is “in favor of maintaining cordial relations with neighboring states and will not allow contentious issues like river water sharing and border disputes to escalate.” On September 29, 2005, the newspaper said that his government would continue its efforts to persuade Kerala to release water from the Neyyar Dam for irrigation in Vilavancode taluk, as well as enter into an agreement with Kerala for this purpose. In October 2006, the Kerala Assembly adopted a resolution agreeing to supply Neyyar water once the value of the water delivered was realised.
Soon, the two states began feuding over the question of whether the river was an inter-state river or not. Eventually, in 2012, Tamil Nadu moved the Supreme Court with an original suit. The cross-examination of witnesses from both the states has been completed. The debate has to begin.
Meanwhile, farmers who had cultivated paddy in Vilavancode have either converted their land into residential plots or started growing coconut, banana and rubber, says R Chelaswamy, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA from Padmanabhapuram constituency and a resident of Vilavancode taluk.
It is sad that this project, once considered a shining example of inter-state cooperation, has almost been allowed to languish, at least in respect of Vilavancode.
