Reiterating that the Polavaram multi-purpose project of Andhra Pradesh is of no good for Odisha, the State Government on Monday said it does not require water from the dam over river Godavari as of

Pazhayar, the lifeline of Kanyakumari district, has lost its pristine glory owing to renovation work not having been carried out in the river for the past several years. The river is polluted and encroached, and the check-dams along with sluices are damaged in many parts owing to negligence by the authorities concerned.

The early Kings of Venad were conscious of the potential of Pazhayar which originates from the forested area of Surulacode, carries small streams from Mahendragiri peak and flows through Thovalai and Agastheeswaram taluks.

The Andhra Pradesh government, which is against holding public hearings in Orissa and Chhattisgarh on the Polavaram dam and its effect on the two states, may have to finally relent to save the project from further delay.

Project officials said the state government will have to agree on public hearings to avoid the environmental clearance being withdrawn by Union Ministry of Environment and Fore

Rohith Raj K

KOCHI: Even while the government is busy adopting measures to protect the sacred groves (kavu) in the State, the Railways is all set to do away with around 10 groves in the district for the Sabari Rail project. Recently, the district administration held a meeting with 10 landowners in the Angamaly-Perumbavoor region in connection with evicting people for the rail project.

Analysis of water balance for Upper Kolab catchment was done according to Thornthwaite book keeping technique for six stations located within the catchment and for the entire catchment for the normal climatic year. On annual basis the catchment has a water need, rainfall, actual evapotranspiration, water surplus and water deficit of 1703.7 mm, 1479.82 mm, 1003.13 mm, 476.69 mm and 700.56 mm respectively. There is a water surplus from July to October and water deficit from November to May. The surplus months of June and part of July contribute to recharge the soil moisture deficit.