Tamil Nadu to implement phase-II of Hogenakkal drinking water project

Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced that it will implement the Hogenakkal Combined Water Supply Scheme, aimed at providing drinking water to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri district, at a cost of Rs 7,145 crore and decided to pose it for external funding.

The project envisages continuous supply of potable water supply from River Cauvery to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, which are drought-prone and perceived as one of the backward regions of Tamil Nadu. The first phase of the project not just allowed the people here to access reliable water supply but also one that had appropriate fluorosis mitigation measures.

“…The Phase II of Hogenakkal Combined Water Supply Scheme at a cost of Rs.7,145 crore will be posed for external funding assistance,” Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said in his budget speech.

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Officials said phase-II of the Hogenakkal Water Supply & Fluorosis Mitigation Project is imperative to continue the supply of potable drinking water to the two districts which also includes the bustling industrial town of Hosur located just outside Bengaluru.

Since the amount of water to be provided to a person in rural and urban areas will have to be enhanced under the Jal Jeevan scheme of the Union Government and keeping in mind the increasing population, phase-II is necessary to fulfil the requirements.

The Phase-II will cover one corporation (Hosur), two municipalities, 16 town panchayats, and 6,818 rural habitations (the number is less when compared to phase-I due to the merging of several hamlets under Jal Jeevan mission) and is expected to cater to a population of 41.54 lakh in 2024. The number of rural habitations in Dharmapuri district that will benefit is 2,835 and 3,983 in Krishnagiri district, according to data made available to DH.

Despite Karnataka’s objection to the project, Tamil Nadu says it has a “legal right” to implement the second phase of the Hogenakkal drinking water project.

While asserting that it has rights over the project even on humanitarian grounds, the Tamil Nadu government has cited the February 16, 2018, judgement of the Supreme Court on sharing of the Cauvery river between states to justify its stand.

Tamil Nadu says the final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) has allowed 2.2 tmcft of water to be used for consumptive use and 25.7 tmcft of water for permitted irrigation schemes. Since these have been upheld by the Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu says it is well within its rights to implement the second phase of the project.