COIMBATORE: After seeing water for the first time in nearly three decades, the Kothavadi village's lake is bracing to reach its full capacity, with the help of volunteers who were dedicated to restoring the lake for the last two years.
Following the prolonged demands by the residents of 28 village panchayats, the Tamil Nadu PWD opened up surplus water from the canal in PAP Dams at Vadasithur wherefrom the lake is about four km away, on November 11. The lake rose up to 28 feet of its 30 feet capacity.
The villagers said that with slow rainfall and the increasing number of check dams on the Kothavadi River's path, withered the lake dry since 1993, and groundwater went down to 1,200 feet.
Speaking to TNIE, S Palanivel, Superintending Engineer of PAP, "The lake would be filled by a couple of days, following which the groundwater recharge would improve and benefit the villagers for at least two years."
The Moon Man connect
Mylswamy Annadurai, the Moon Man of India, former director of ISRO Satellite Centre and Project Director of Chandrayaan-1 and Chanhandrayaan-2, who is a native, visited the village to appreciate the work done by the volunteers.
In his autobiography 'Kaiyaruge Nila' (The Moon within hand's reach), he had said in Tamil, "I found water on Moon. Hoping to see water on Mars. But, the water in my native village's lake at Kothavadi is only a mirage."