Tamil Nadu to implement Phase-II of Hogenakkal water project

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government will soon implement the second phase of the Hogenakkal Water Supply & Fluorosis Mitigation Project to continue providing drinking water from Cauvery River to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts at a cost of Rs 7,890 crore with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

The Ministry of Finance on November 22 wrote to the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi to include the project in the JICA Rolling Plan. While the total project cost is Rs 7,890 crore, the loan amount sought from JICA is Rs 4,902 crore. 

This comes after the EAP of the Union Ministry of Urban Affairs on November 8 approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project prepared by the Tamil Nadu government. 

“It was observed that the Govt. of Tamil Nadu has to submit the undertaking that the water for 8 urban local bodies will be taken up under AMRUT or any other state plan funds, in case the towns are not fully covered with distribution network,” the minutes of the meeting read. 

The project envisages continuous supply of potable water supply from Cauvery River 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. 

Tamil Nadu government believes 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.

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.