MORE THAN 90% WATER WAS FLOWING TO THE ARABIAN SEA

    The state government and the water Resources Department have failed ti initiate any major steps for conservation of water in the Bharatapuzha during the heavy monsoon rain in the last months. The state received more rainfall in 2010 compared to the previous years. The Bharatapuzha and the other  rivers, Bhavani, Siruvani, Mangalam, Gayathri etc. The shutters of nearly one dozen dams in the district were opened to avoid overflow.
    It had earlier been decided to construct a number of permanent and temporary check dams across the Bharatapuzha and its tributaries in a bid to conserve water and save the river from going completely dry during the summer months. However, only four check dams have been completed and another two are under construction. The Bharatapuzh is the source of water supply to nearly 170 grama panchayats in the three districts of Palakkad,Malappuram and Trissur.
     Kerala gets its main rainfall during the southwest  and north east monsoons and a smaller extent through summer showers. On an average,it receives 300 mm of rain annually. At the same time Kerala's river carry a discharge of 72,000 million cubic meters of water to the Arabian sea and neighboring states. Only  eight percent of this discharge is stored in reservoirs meant for irrigation,hydroelectric power and drinking water.
    A Rs 560 crore Bharatapuzh Action plan submitted five years ago by the Irrigation Department. the action plan proposed construction of 453 check dams across the Bharatapuzha and its four main tributaries at an estimated cost of Rs157.50 crore.It also suggested building of 30 check dams in chitturpuzha, 60 in Gayathri puzha, 10 in Kalpathy puzha and 50 each in Thootha puzha and Kunthipuzha.
   The action plan noted that more than 4'0000 million cubic metre water was flowing to the Arabian sea from the Bharatapuzha. Total quantity of water stored in all the seven reservoirs of the basin was less than 10 percent of this quantity.

Prof.John Kurakar