CHENNAI: The state government has declined the Water Resource Department’s (WRD) proposal for desilting multiple dams across the state over the next five years owing to financial constraints.
A senior official from WRD told TNIE, “Mettur is one of the state’s largest dams holding a whopping 93 tmcft water. Regrettably, excess water has been diverted to the sea during times of surplus. According to the report, a potential increase in storage capacity by 30 tmcft could be achieved over the next five years by desilting the dam at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. Subsequently, the dam could potentially store 120 tmcft water. The state could also generate supplementary revenue by selling the sand in five years. Unfortunately, due to financial challenges, the government has not shown enthusiasm over the proposal.”
Another WRD official said the team had also surveyed dams like Bhavanisagar, Amaravathi and Sathanur and put forth a proposal to enhance their capacity. Although central water authorities are offering financial support to states for the renovation and rehabilitation of dams, they refrain from granting funds for desilting due to environmental concerns. Securing a loan from the World Bank is also no longer feasible for the state as it has already reached its borrowing limit.
A senior government official told TNIE, “This is the initial phase. Currently, the plan to remove silt has been halted due to financial concerns. Additionally, there is not enough room to dispose of a large quantity of sand. Following deliberations, a decision will be taken.”
K Balasubramani, state general secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam, said, “Current storage level at Mettur is 20 tmcft, which is much less than what it was around this time last year. Last year, 500 tmcft was let into the sea. We are now seeing our state government seeking more water from Karnataka. Had the proposed Cauvery-Gundaru link project been executed in time, the state could have stored a larger volume of water.” Additional Chief Secretary Sandeep Saxena could not be reached for comments.