Madurai: Observing that meeting the drinking water needs is more important than meeting the irrigation needs, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently approved a new drinking water borewell project in the Kollidam river at Keelanabil village in Tiruchi. Petitions challenging the implementation of the Act were dismissed. ,
A bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and B Pugalendhi passed the order after Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) officials clarified that the project required only extraction of subsurface water and hence it would not have any impact on the groundwater level of the village. Will have to.
“Water consumers fall into different categories. Drinking water needs will be in the first place, followed by agricultural and industrial needs. The objective of the scheme under consideration is to meet the drinking water needs. The petitioners appear to be advocating the interests of farmers Of course, they are equally important. But their needs have to take a back seat,” the judges said.
The petitioners alleged that the project was earlier scheduled to be implemented in Edayathumangalam and after protests by the local people, it was arbitrarily changed to Keelnabil. The Additional Advocate General submitted a report of the hydraulic study conducted by the TWAD Board along with the counter affidavit explaining the reason for the change of location.
“The groundwater level data taken in the region over the last five years during January and May has been revealed. The locations that can be used for water have been classified into four categories, namely safe, semi-critical, critical And more -exploited. Keelanbil falls in the protected category,” the judges said in the counter affidavit.
When technical experts have reached certain conclusions, the court cannot substitute their views for their findings, the bench opined and dismissed the petitions. However, he also said that if the groundwater level in Keelanbil village is affected by the project in future, the villagers can always approach the court.
According to the petitioners, the Kollidam river provides water for agricultural purposes to Ambil and 20 other villages in Tiruchi district. It also serves as a source of drinking water for people in the southern and northern districts of Tamil Nadu. But the river has been suffering from water shortage due to illegal mining for the last 25 years, the petitioners alleged.
He informed that the villagers of Anbil have been requesting for a check dam at Kollidam for the last seven years, but the state government is trying to install a new borewell in the area instead.
The petitioners claimed that when local people protested they faced FIRs and arrests. Notably, the court had earlier ordered an interim injunction to prevent the authorities from continuing with the project.
