TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI: Tirunelveli Collector K P Karthikeyan on Friday ordered the release of water from the Papanasam dam for drinking water purpose and cultivating 'pisanam' paddy. Tirunelveli MP S Gnanathiraviam and Palayamkottai MLA Abdul Wahab were also present on the occasion.
In a statement, the district administration said that the water will irrigate 86,107 acres of paddy field in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. Water will be provided through the canals Vadakku Kolai Melazhakiyan, Therku Kodai Melazhakiyan, Nathiyunni, Kannadian, Kodakan, Palayam, Tirunelveli, Marudhur Melakkal, Maruthur Keezhakkal, Therku, and Vadakku kalvai. "The dam will supply water for 137 days, from November 11 to March 31, 2024. The amount of water being released will depend on the storage level of the dam," the statement said. Collector Karthikeyan further inspected the Servalaru and Manimuthar dams, and held a discussion with officials of the revenue and water resources departments.
In Tenkasi, MP Dhanush M Kumar opened the shutter of Karuppanathi dam to benefit 9,514.7 acres of farmlands in the presence of the District Collector D Ravichandran. "The water released will benefit farmers of Vairavankulam, Krishnapuram, Chokkampatti, Kumanthapuram, Boganallur, Kadayanallur, Idaikal, Kilankadu, Kambaneri, Poigai, Thirumalapuram, Senthamaram, Kulasekaramangalam, and Veerasigamani villages," the district administration said in a statement.