In a statement released today, Ms Jayalalithaa said that it would not be an exaggeration to state that  the welfare of a state and the development of the people of the state depended on its water resources. However, due to the selfishness of the minority DMK government's chief minister Karunanidhi, a totally contradictory situation prevailed in Tamil Nadu today, she said.  

She said that the prosperous state of Tamil Nadu was turning into a dry desert. Ground water was depleting thanks to smuggling of sand. This apart, the rights of Tamil Nadu over various rivers including the Cauvery, Paalaar, Ponnaiyaaru and Mullaiperiyar were being lost one after the other.  

Under such circumstances, the Kerala cabinet had recently approved the construction of a new dam across the Paambaar for a hydro electric power project. The people in the area charge that if the Kerala government's project is completed, over 70 thousand acres of farmlands in Tiruppur and Karur districts, which depend on the Amaravathy dam for irrigation, would go without any water. Hundreds of villages would face drinking water scarcity and even wild animals would go without water.  

Water was reaching the Amaravathy dam from the Paambaaru which is in Kerala territory and from the Thenaaru, Chinnaaru and Kaataaru that flow within Tamil Nadu's borders. If the Kerala government constructed a dam across Paambaaru, agricultural production would be hit severely in Tiruppur and Karur districts which depend on the Amaravathy dam and there would be a severe shortage of drinking water.  

Ms Jayalalithaa pointed out that the Cauvery water disputes Tribunal in its final verdict had ordered that Kerala should be given 3 TMCs of water from the Paambaar sub-basin. After the Tribunal delivered its verdict, at an all party meeting held on the 19th of February 2007 the AIADMK had mentioned that it was unfair that Kerala, which was utilizing just 5 TMCs of water had been allocated a total of 30 TMCs in the verdict. It had urged that steps should be taken to add the excess water allocated to Kerala to Tamil Nadu's share.  

The then Public Works minister Duraimurugan, told the Tamil Nadu assembly in 2007 that Tamilnadu was receiving a total of 8 TMCs water from Amaravathy and that even if Kerala utilized 3 TMCs of water, the state would still receive 5 TMCs of water. He had further said that according to the final verdict, as long as Kerala was utilizing this water, Tamil Nadu could also utilize the water. He had said that therefore farmers would not be affected in any manner, ever.  

However, as per the statistics of the Tamil Nadu public works department, 17.65 TMCs water was needed for Agriculture, 0.492 TMCs for industries and 0.514 TMCs for meeting the drinking water requirements of the people living in the Amaravathy-Karur belt. However, the public works minister had contradicted this in the state assembly. One can understand the fact that his speech was  favourable to the Kerala government, she observed.  

This apart, it was announced in the state assembly in 2007 that the government was considering  approaching the Cauvery Tribunal in connection with the issue. However, the minority DMK government did not seem to have taken any steps so far to approach the Tribunal. From this itself, the people can easily understand the minority DMK government's real concern in livelihood issues of Tamil Nadu.  

Taking advantage of the apathy of the minority DMK government, the Kerala government had twisted the Cauvery river water tribunal to its favour and had decided to construct a new dam near  Kovilkadavu across Paambaar. If the Kerala government constructed the dam, even the water that was already reaching Tamil Nadu  would not come to the state.  

Ms Jayalalithaa announced that a massive protest demonstration would be held on behalf of the Tiruppur district AIADMK on the 1st of next month before the Central bus terminus in Udumalpet to condemn the minority DMK government, which had not taken any steps to prevent the construction of a new dam across Paampaar. The demonstration  would also urge the minority DMK government to take immediate steps to stop the construction. It would also urge the minority DMK government to file a peition in the Supreme Court challenging the allocation of 3 TMC of water to Kerala from the Paambaar sub basin.  

Ms Jayalalithaa announced that the demonstration would be led by the party's election wing secretary Pollachi V Jayaraman in the presence of the Tiruppur district party secretary Tiruppur C Sivasamy and Tiruppur district party presidium chairman C Shanmugavelu.  

Ms Jayalalithaa asked Tiruppur district party fuctionaries, district office bearers and functionaries of the various wings of the party, local body representatives and party cadres to participate in the demonstration in large numbers. She also asked the general public and the farmers to participate in the protest demonstration which was being organised for a cause of public welfare.