CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday announced a slew of measures for renovating key water resources and their canals in the State with a view to ensure tail-end areas get adequate water for irrigation.
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly under Rule 110, she said since the east and west bank canals of Mettur dam had served more than 60 years, increased water seepage was resulting in tail-end areas getting insufficient water.
“During the past five years, the government headed by me had undertaken many repair works at a cost of Rs 79.60 crore. As a follow up of this, a further stretch of east and west bank canals in Namakkal and Salem districts respectively would be repaired at a cost of Rs 25 crore,” she added.
The Chief Minister further said renovation of the 700-year-old Kalingarayan dam and its 56-km canal had been renovated during the past five years at a cost of Rs 91 crore and the rest of the works on this canal which leads to Erode town and laying a baby canal would be carried out at a cost of Rs 36.75 crore.
“Through this work, the sewerage from parts of Erode Corporation and the effluent from leather and dyeing units flowing into Kalingarayan canal would be prevented. Since water seepage is also avoided, farmers in tail-end areas would be benefitted,” she said.
The Chief Minister said six of the 21 dams across Sarabanga river in Salem district and their canals and 10 lakes would be renovated at a cost of Rs 15 crore. This would help storing the flood water and redirect it to the lakes.
Flood prevention walls would be raised on both banks of Varaha river, a subsidiary of Vaigai river, and the banks would be strengthened at a cost of Rs 15 crore so that flow of sewerage water into the river would be prevented. This would also prevent encroachments along the river besides catering to the irrigation in Periyakulam taluk.
She said a check dam would be built across Vaigai dam near Thirubhuvanam town panchayat in Sivaganga district. This would help in storing the flood water and also fortify the wells which provide water for drinking purposes as well as irrigation.
Jayalalithaa said water resources in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Vellore and Virudhunagar district would be renovated during the current year at a cost of Rs 22.83 crore which would benefit 3,789 acres of lands. New building for PWD Employees Training Centre at Tiruchy would be built at a cost of Rs 3.50 crore.