TIRUCHY: River conservation experts have urged the government to allocate funds for desilting waterbodies across the State. The government had earlier allocated Rs 80 crore for desilting irrigation canals across the delta region.
A total of Rs 18.75 crore was allocated to carry out desilting works in Tiruchy district alone. Existing policies limit themselves to desilting irrigation canals, officials said. Every year, as water flow increases in the Cauvery, discussions related to conserving waterbodies are held across the district, they added.
A PWD official said, "Neither NABARD nor the World Bank is willing to allocate funds for desilting waterbodies. They fund only infrastructure-related projects. Now, irrigation canals across the delta region are being desilted and it benefits people. But the authorities have not addressed the issue of desilting waterbodies. Annually, 50 to 100 TMC of Cauvery water drains into the sea, and efforts to store them have been minimal."
R Elangovan, former chief engineer of PWD, said, "A separate policy should be drafted to safeguard the existing waterbodies and raise their capacity. Such a new policy can benefit nearly 14,000 waterbodies across the State. Even a 10 per cent increase in capacity will be very significant."
Ayalai Sivasuriyan, a farmer leader from Tiruchy, said, "If desilted, the Sirupathur lake in Manachanallur can solve the water crisis there. We have been urging the authorities to desilt the lake for the past 20 years. But the authorities have not taken action. As a first step, the government should identify and desilt waterbodies within a radius of 10 km from the Cauvery."