Halt works on Silanthi check dam, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin tells Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday urged his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan to immediately suspend the construction of a check dam across the Silanthi River in Amaravathi (Pambar) sub-basin.

Writing to Vijayan in the backdrop of media reports showing Kerala as undertaking masonry works for the check dam across the Silanthi River in the Amaravathi sub-basin, Stalin pointed to Kerala not sharing any details of the dam project with either the Tamil Nadu government or Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) so far, and asked Vijayan to provide all details of the current status of the Silanthi River check dam project and the Master Plan prepared by Kerala for Bhavani and Amaravathi (Pambar) sub-basins, as was sought by the Tamil Nadu additional chief secretary of water resources department from the irrigation officials of Kerala.

According to the letter, translated contents of which were circulated to the media by the state information department late Thursday, Chief Minister Stalin asked his Kerala counterpart to immediately provide the details as they were very essential for legally examining the issue.

Stalin also requested Vijayan to instruct his officials concerned to suspend the construction works till the issue is resolved and to uphold the “true brotherhood” between the two states.

Earlier in the day, Stalin held a detailed review of the issue with the State Chief Secretary and WRO officials after media reports showed Tamil Nadu farmers expressing apprehension about the under-construction check dam across the Silanthi River in Amaravathi sub-basin affecting water inflow into Amaravathi River.