Madurai: A decades-old dispute over an irrigation structure in Kerala that once supplied water to southern Tamil Nadu has reached the Supreme Court , with a BJP leader seeking a time-bound restoration plan and a formal interstate water dispute resolution process.
BJP Tenkasi district president Ananthan Ayyasamy has filed an Article 32 petition seeking directions to Tamil Nadu and Kerala to finalise a time-bound plan to repair the Shenbagavalli Anicut and Kanyamadagu Channel.
He has urged Tamil Nadu to invoke Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, if bilateral negotiations fail. The case was listed on Nov 4 and adjourned to Nov 26, according to a press release issued on Friday. Built in 1773 near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, the structure diverted water from the Periyar basin to the Vaippar system. However, flood damage disrupted the supply decades ago, affecting 40 irrigation tanks, Ayyasamy said. Tamil Nadu’s irrigation policy records identify a command area of 10,924 acres, while he claims the actual area exceeds 30,000 acres. Tamil Nadu carried out repairs between 1959 and 1962 and deposited Rs 5.15 lakh with Kerala in 1986 for further work. Kerala refunded the amount in 2005, citing forest department objections as the structure falls within the Periyar Tiger Reserve, according to a state irrigation policy note.
Because the structure was located in Kerala, ayyasamy said another petition was dismissed by the Madurai Bench in July 2025.
“This neglect has harmed farmers across the southern districts,” he said, announcing a farmers’ rally to press both governments to act. The provision allows a state to seek a reference of the dispute to a tribunal by the Union government. The Union government and both states are respondents. Restoration efforts have remained stalled despite several interventions.