The fields of Chittur are drying up, and with them, the hopes of thousands of paddy farmers. A critical water shortage has hit Kerala’s agricultural heartland, and the blame is being placed squarely on Tamil Nadu’s failure to honor a long-standing water-sharing pact.

Key facts

  • Kerala was to receive 400 cubic feet of water in the current 15-day period
  • Only 100 cubic feet is being released into the Chittur River
  • An estimated 50,000 acres of cultivation abandoned
  • Financial losses pegged at around ₹150 crore

A Broken Promise

Former Power Minister K. Krishnankutty didn’t mince words when he addressed the media in Palakkad on September 12, 2026. The Parambikulam-Aliyar agreement, designed to ensure fair water distribution between the states, is being violated, he asserted. The numbers tell a stark story: 400 cubic feet promised, just 100 delivered.

Fields Fallow, Futures at Risk

You can see the consequences unfolding across the region. Farmers have already walked away from approximately 50,000 acres of land they can no longer irrigate. The financial toll is devastating—an estimated ₹150 crore in losses. And for those who managed to plant? Their crops now face a grim battle for survival, drying up at the most vulnerable stage of growth.

“Tamil Nadu was not releasing even the 400 cubic feet due to Keralam, which he described as a violation of the agreement.”

Krishnankutty’s frustration is palpable. He points out that the reservoirs hold plenty of water—around 3.7 tmc in the Parambikulam components alone. There’s no shortage of supply, just a shortage of willingness to share it.

A Call for Action

This isn’t the first time water tensions have flared between the states. Krishnankutty recalls that during previous crises, Kerala secured its share through direct government intervention. High-level meetings with Tamil Nadu officials sometimes led to water being released directly into the Aliyar reservoir via canal. That kind of decisive action is missing now, he says, and he’s urging the Kerala government to take the issue straight to the Chief Minister’s office. The goal is clear: restore the water flow, save the crops, and protect the farmers who feed the region.