COIMBATORE: The Kanuvai check dam has overflowed after heavy downpour in the Anaikatti hills, with residents concerned that movement on the Kanuvai-Panneermadai road may be disrupted if the inflow increases. They have demanded that the government implement its long-pending plan to construct a high-level bridge across the dam as the road gets submerged whenever the dam overflows.
The Kanuvai check dam is the starting point of the Sanganoor Stream, a major tributary of the Noyyal River. The check dam plays a key role in regulating water from the Thadagam region.
While one channel feeds the Sanganoor Canal, another diverts water to Chinnavedampatti Lake. After the stream was desilted in 2021 fresh water from the Western Ghats reached Chinnavedampatti Lake in 2023 after a 15-year gap. With continuous rain, water from the Western Ghats is now filling up the Kanuvai check dam. If the flow remains steady, the water is expected to reach Chinnavedampatti Lake soon, said PK Selvaraj, founder of Kousika Neerkarangal.
However, the Kanuvai-Panneermadai road, a vital link for several villages, passes directly over the spillway of the check dam and locals are demanding a bridge over the water body as it poses a risk, especially during the rainy seasons.
After TNIE reported the issue on October 20, officials inspected the site.
District Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar led the inspection and ordered steps to construct a bridge, said a Water Resources Department official.
The official added that the proposal has been under discussion for several years and the WRD is ready to issue NOC for the State Highways Department to start construction. The project is expected to begin soon.
