CM sleeping over looming water crisis, slams EPS; Nehru denies

COIMBATORE: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday said Chief Minister MK Stalin is in slumber, unconcerned over the looming water crisis in several districts of the state due to depleting storage level in the Mettur dam.

“There is a possibility of a major drinking water crisis to come up, if water level in Mettur dips by another six feet from the current storage of 36 feet. With seven more months to go for the onset of seasonal rains, people from 24 districts, including Salem, who are dependent on Mettur dam and Cauvery River are in a state of distress,” said Palaniswami.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Stalin, the AIADMK leader accused the CM of being unconcerned over these issues. “His only concern is that his son Udhayanidhi Stalin should come to power after him. But, as far as AIADMK is concerned, people are the masters and we are there only to execute their thoughts,” he said.

Refuting the charges of the Leader of Opposition Palaniswami, Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru said Tamil Nadu will not face drinking water shortage, even if the storage level in Mettur dam goes down.

“Chennai wouldn’t face any water shortage as Chembarambakkam lake is full and water from Poondi lake is overflowing into the sea. In Coimbatore, works on water supply projects will commence in 15 days, while in other districts repair works in pipelines were being done to ensure supply of uninterrupted water,” he told reporters in Salem on Monday.

Further, Nehru said adequate storage has been maintained in Mettur dam to fulfill the drinking water requirements of those districts dependent on Cauvery water.

“The South West Monsoon was deficit only in Cauvery catchment areas, while it was surplus by ten per cent in other places. The forecast has also predicted that the North East monsoon will commence after October 15. Even if there are no rains for one year, Tamil Nadu will not face any water shortage,” he said.