CHENNAI: Finance and PWD Minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday told the State Assembly that the 100-year-old Pechiparai dam in Kanyakumari district would be completely renovated at a cost of Rs 45.09 crore. Work would commence once the World Bank approved the estimates given by the State government.
Works such as giving special coating to the front wall of the dam to prevent water seepage, constructing grade wall, repairing the approach road to the dam, undertaking maintenance work, building shutter wall, installing modern equipment, etc., would be carried out after getting the approval of World Bank, the minister said replying to a call attention motion in the Assembly.
About desilting the Pechiparai dam, the minister said Water and Power Consultancy Services had been commissioned to prepare a detailed project report and the government had allocated Rs 8.34 crore for that. The consultancy firm had already started its preliminary work at the dam. Once the DPR was received, desilting would start, he added.
During the past four years, of the 14,098 lakes under the control of Public Works Department, 3,430 lakes had been desilted and rehabilitated. Storage capacity of these lakes had gone up from four to seven per cent after the desilting, he said.