States » SouthPosted at: Oct 29 2026 8:36PM


Kerala to seek review of Parambikulam-Aliyar agreement, urgent talks with TN to secure rightful water share

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 (UNI) Kerala has decided to initiate discussions with Tamil Nadu to review the Parambikulam-Aliyar Agreement and ensure the state receives its rightful share of water, with the government deciding to convene an urgent meeting of the Joint Water Regulation Board (JWRB) to address the issue, Water Resources Minister Adv Monce Joseph said on Thursday.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the Minister here to discuss the state's water requirements and the difficulties faced by farmers due to severe drought, which has prevented cultivation of the second crop in several parts of Kerala.
Several MLAs had brought the serious situation arising from water scarcity and the inability to undertake second-crop cultivation to the attention of Chief Minister V D Satheesan and the Water Resources Minister. Following this, the government decided to convene an urgent high-level meeting to examine the issue and take steps to secure Kerala's due share of water under the inter-state agreement.
The meeting decided that the Joint Water Regulation Board, comprising representatives of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and functioning under the supervision of the chief engineers of the two states, should be convened urgently to discuss the water-sharing issues and arrive at appropriate decisions.
The joint committee has entrusted Kerala's Chief Engineer with the responsibility of convening the JWRB meeting on behalf of the state this time. Accordingly, the meeting authorised Chief Engineer R Priyesh, who is in charge of inter-state river water agreements in Kerala and currently serves as the chairperson of the JWRB, to convene the meeting and initiate the necessary proceedings.
The high-level meeting also decided to initiate discussions with Tamil Nadu to review the existing Parambikulam-Aliyar Agreement signed between the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The proposed discussions are intended to examine the provisions and implementation of the agreement and address Kerala's concerns regarding the availability of its entitled share of water.
To assess the demands to be raised by Kerala and take decisions on the related matters, a separate meeting will be convened in the presence of Chief Minister V D Satheesan. The meeting will examine the issues concerning the agreement and determine the demands to be placed before Tamil Nadu during the proposed inter-state discussions.
As part of the immediate measures to address the water shortage affecting agriculture, a meeting of the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) will be held at Palakkad at 1600 hours on October 30. The meeting will examine water availability and related issues ahead of the second-crop cultivation season, particularly in view of the difficulties faced by farmers because of the prevailing drought conditions.
The high-level meeting also decided to examine the current situation concerning water regulation and Kerala's entitlement to water from the Cauvery river. The government will review the prevailing circumstances at the official level and pursue discussions between the states to find a solution to the issues relating to water allocation.
The meeting was attended by MLAs Sumesh Achuthan, Saneesh Kumar Joseph and K Preman; Water Resources Department Special Secretary S Suhas IAS; Chief Engineer R Priyesh; Kerala Inter-State Water Adviser James Wilson; KSEB Chief Engineer Anilkumar; Deputy Chief Engineer Sreekumar; JWRB Assistant Director S Anand; Irrigation Joint Director Saji Samuel; Deputy Director M Sajitha; and Chittur Irrigation Executive Engineer Kiran Abraham Thomas, among others.
UNI DS
Tags: #Kerala to seek review of Parambikulam-Aliyar agreement# urgent talks with TN to secure rightful water share
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