CHENNAI: The chance to store at least 2 tmcft of additional water in Poondi reservoir during northeast monsoon may have been lost due to a delay in raising the storage capacity of the dam from 35 feet to 37 feet and decision to postpone dredging work due to intermittent rains.
A senior Water Resources Department (WRD) official told TNIE that considering the future requirements of Chennai and its growing population, the department has put forward a proposal to expand the reservoir’s storage capacity from 3.23 tmcft to 5.23 tmcft of water.
“We could have increased the storage capacity by raising the height of the dam by a few feet but the residents of Tiruvallur district opposed the project due to the fear of flooding. Officials, however, explained the project benefits to the people before commencing a feasibility study. The study report was submitted to the State government a few months ago,” the official said. The department is now waiting for funds to be sanctioned for the project. The official said the expansion proposal may be approved in the next budget session.
Another official pointed out that the work to desilt around 2.05 crore cubic metres of silt from the reservoir began on August 20, 2021. “But due to the downpour in catchment areas, the work was temporarily stopped. It will resume in January,” he said.
Till now, nearly 10,000 cubic metres of silt has been scooped out from the dam. The project aims to restore the original capacity of the reservoir that had been lost over the past 75 years through continuous dredging for the next 10 years.