TIRUPPUR: Stating that cracks have started to develop on top of the Uppar Dam surface, farmers in Dharapuram have urged officials to immediately fix it.
The Uppar Dam was constructed across the Uppar stream to store surplus water from the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) scheme. It is 24 feet deep, has storage capacity of 576 mcft, and caters to 6,100 acres of agricultural land under the scheme.
When the dam dried out and farmers continued to demand water, the government opened water from the Thirumurthy dam on Saturday.
Amid this, farmers noticed cracks on the road on top of the dam and expressed safety concerns.
A Kalimuthu, Tamilaga Katchi Sarbatra Vivasayigal Sangam president, said, “In 2018-19, the dam was renovated at a cost of Rs 8 crore. However, the works were not carried out properly. Meanwhile, accepting our request, the government ordered to supply water to the Upper Dam from the Thirumurthy Dam for five days. We thank the government for this act, but water release should be increased to 10 days.”
Velu Sivakumar, Tiruppur District Uppar Farmers Protection Association executive committee member, said, “Farmers and villagers residing in Dharapuram, Kundadam, and Gudimangalam blocks will benefit now as the government has supplied water to the dam. At the same time, steps should be taken to maintain the dam as well.”
A senior Water Resource Department (WRD) official, said, “The cracks on the dam occurred due to the nature of soil. It is not a big issue. We have informed the government about this and it will be treated soon.” He added, “Water will be opened from Thirumurthy Dam till October 24 and around 300 mcft of water will be released.”