The Federation of Tamilnadu Agriculturists Associations (FTAA) has urged the centre and state governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to consider reviving the now-shelved Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project, which was based on the “water for Tamil Nadu and electricity for Kerala” model.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi (copies of which have been sent to the President, and the Governors and Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala), S. Nallasamy, the FTAA secretary, said that the project was conceptualized in the early 1960s, but was dropped in 1967, following changes in the governments of the two states.

The rivers Pandiyar and Punnampuzha originate in the Nilgiri district and flow into Kerala. Both these rivers drain their waters in the Arabian Sea. If the state governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala could work together, the project could yield 18 TMCs of water for Tamilnadu per year and electricity for Kerala. It would also enable the implementation of the much-delayed Atthikkadavu-Avinashi drinking water project, Nallasamy said.

He added that the project could be the first step in interlinking the rivers all over the country.