The water crisis plaguing Tamil Nadu has turned out to be a full blown out water war between the ruling AIADMK and the Opposition DMK. As part of its efforts to unseat the AIADMK Government, the DMK leadership declared on Monday that it would not allow transportation of water from Jolarpettai in Vellore district to Chennai .
Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami had announced on Friday that a 50 wagon train would be pressed into service to transport 10 million litres water per day from Jolarpettai to Chennai. The Government has set apart Rs 65 crore to meet the cost of transporting the water and other expenses, Palaniswami told mediapersons after a Cabinet meeting which was convened to discuss the water shortage in Chennai.
But Durai Murugan, treasurer, DMK, declared that his party would oppose the State Government’s move to transport water from Jolarpettai to Chennai. Murugan who was the Minister for Public Works Department in the previous DMK Government disclosed that at present the Tamil Nadu Government was bringing stagnant and polluted water from quarries. “I have seen people dumping carcasses of animals in these quarries. The AIADMK Government is supplying water through tanker lorries so that it could get commission from lorry owners,” alleged Mirugan.
The declaration of Murugan that his party would prevent transporting water from Jolarpettai to Chennai has took the people by surprise. “Till now, the water war was confined to States. The announcement by Duruai Murugan would lead to a situation where people in one district fight their counterparts in neighbouring district,” said Narayanan Thiruppati, BJP leader.
Murugan is reportedly worried over the poll prospectus of his son Kathir Anand, the DMK candidate from Vellore Lok Sabha constutiency. The poll from this constituency was rescinded following large scale seizure of unaccounted money from the residence and business premise of Durai Murugan.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK is planning to launch a counter agitation blaming the DMK for its efforts to derail the Water Train project.
Dr Nanditha Krishna, director, CPR Environmental Centre said this was the worst water crisis to hit Chennai in the last three decades. “Groundwater has almost been depleted and there is no possibility of finding any new water bodies in the metropolis or in surrounding areas,” Dr Krishna said.
This week will see Tamil Nadu Government launching the works of the third desalination plant in a Chennai suburb which has the capacity to supply 150 million litres water per day is expected to be operational in three years. The AIADMK Government is going ahead with plans to set up a fourth desalination plant for the metropolis.
“This is too late and too little. The Government should have launched the works of three or four desalination plants at least in 2012. Under the present conditions, the only option available before Tamil Nadu is desalination plants,” said AY Dangore, former head of the Desalination Plant Division of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam.
Nagpur-born Dangore is credited with the design and fabrication of a series of desalination plants meeting the water requirements of Kalpakkam Township, the Madras Atomic Power Station and the IGCAR facility.
According to Dangore, the Government should take serious note of the functioning of desalination plants in West Asian countries. “They are working without any hitch for decades. Agreed that they are costly but there is no other option for Tamil Nadu which is a rain starved State,” Dangore added.