'Permanent mechanism to look into inter-state water disputes'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala government today said it plans to have a permanent mechanism to look into inter-state water disputes.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the assembly that the state government wants to resolve water sharing issues and renewal of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) with neighbouring Tamil Nadu through discussions.

He was replying to a calling attention motion moved by K Krishnankutty (JD-S) to the situation which has reportedly arisen consequent to the inter-state water agreements not being renewed in a time-bound manner.

Vijayan said the pending case relating to the issue in the Supreme Court would not be a hurdle to hold discussions with Tamil Nadu to renew the PAP water sharing agreement.

Though Kerala was supposed to get 7.2 tmc water every year under the agreement, it got less quantity of water than the agreed quantum in some years, he claimed.