Kuttanad Package -Kerala

With Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal expressing his Ministry’s willingness to support projects worth over Rs.1,000 crore that came under the Flood Management Programme, the Kuttanad Package, based on the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee, appears to have overcome the teething troubles confronting it for the past nearly two years.

Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day fact-finding mission to Kuttanand, spread over Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, Mr. Bansal said a major chunk of the projects involved the strengthening of the outer bund. (Outer bund is a mud wall that separates the water in a lake and below-sea-level paddy fields.) While the expression of willingness to support the task did not mention the amount involved, the amount estimated by the Swaminathan committee for the development of the outer bund comes to Rs.831 crore.

The Kuttanad Package, Fr. Peelianickal ,executive director of the Kuttanad Development Council (KDC) says, was designed as a special package aimed at solving the multifarious issues, including environmental, technical and man-made challenges, confronted by the region. But Central officials, instead of surpassing usual norms for Central schemes since this is a special package, are trying to allocate funds for the package as if it were any other regular project, he says.

“Most unfortunate has been the allocation of funds for mechanisation. Dr. Swaminathan recommended Rs. 85 crore. The Centre allowed a mere Rs.13.65 crore! It has allowed only Rs.1.5 lakh for a combine harvester, when the actual price is Rs. 20 lakh,” Fr. Peelianickal points out.

Further, various projects for infrastructure development including flood management measures and bund strengthening, suggested by Dr. Swaminathan and worth a total of Rs.1,220 crore, have been put aside by the Centre, saying that these could not be included in any existing Central scheme.

“This is unjustifiable, because flood management in Kuttanad is different from the rest of the country because this region exists below sea level.


Canal modernisation

The Ministry would the projects for the modernisation of the Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal, the development of C and D blocks, the Chithira kayal and Rani kayal, and the modernisation of orumuttus (saltwater regulators), including the construction of 33 permanent ones. In accordance with the Swaminathan commission report, these projects together would amount to Rs.363 crore.

The task relating to the wetland reclamation connected with Onattukara and Pattanakkad and the development and deepening of canals would be finalised only after the State government finalised the agency to hold the studies connected with the project, the Minister said. The government had earlier decided to entrust the study to the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management. However, with the formation of a special circle for the implementation of the Kuttanad Package, the Water Resources Department has expressed its willingness to carry out the studies so that much of the procedural delays could be done away with.

Mr. Bansal said his Ministry would like to expedite the entire work at the quickest possible time and would complete the formalities “as and when we receive the detailed project reports.”

Meanwhile, Kerala Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran said the State government was of the view that detailed reports of projects worth Rs.200 crore could be finalised and submitted for consideration of the Central authorities during the current fiscal. Two detailed project reports amounting to Rs.74 crore had already been submitted to the Central Water Commission for approval, he said.

Bund survey

Mr. Premachandran pointed out that a survey of more than 2,500 km of the outer bund, out of the total 4,196 km, had been completed. The implementation of the project would gather momentum in the coming months and the preparation of the reports and the survey would go hand in hand.

A major impediment in the implementation of the Kuttanand Package had been the works connected with the construction and strengthening of bunds that were projected as ‘projects for promoting infrastructure for paddy cultivation.’ However, the Central government appears to have taken a proactive approach to the whole issue by including the construction and strengthening of bunds as part of the Flood Management Programme. This would enable the State government to avail itself of Central assistance at a 75:25 ratio, with the Central government chipping in 75 per cent of the expenditure.

Mr. Premachandran said the State government would submit a proposal to declare Kuttanand as a flood-prone area to the Planning Commission.

The unique ecosystem of Kuttanad was akin to the Sundarbans which has been declared flood-prone. This would help to get financial assistance at a 90:10 ratio with the Central government taking the majority burden.

The Union Minister was accompanied by S. Manoharan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources; M.E. Haque, Commissioner (Policy Planning), Ministry of Water Resources; and T.K. Sivarajan, Director, Central Water Commission (Coimbatore centre). The Kerala side included K. Jayakumar, Additional Chief Secretary; R.C. Goyal, Agriculture Production Commissioner; M.N. Gunavardhanan, Secretary, Water Resources; Lathika, Chief Engineer, Irrigation; and others. Mr. Jayakumar made a power-point presentation to the Union Minister on the unique ecosystem of Kuttanad.