DHARMAPURI: Residents urged the Dharmapuri district administration to clear encroachment and renovate the canals in the area as water overflowing from these canals enters farmlands, disrupting cultivation.
With the gradual discharge of water from the Chinnar dam, many canals, which have been dormant for the past few years, have been revived in the district. Commenting on the matter, G Kumaresan, a resident of the Erranahalli said, “For the water to reach our village from the Chinnar river it has to pass through several lakes. Now because of the excess South West monsoon rain we received, many water paths have been revived. However, all these paths do not have a smooth flow.”
“One such canal system flows through Erranahalli panchayat. Because of the encroachments, the water flowing through the canals has no place to vent, thus entering farmlands. Further, if the water flow persists our homes will be affected,” he added.
Tamilarasan, a resident of Thalavaihalli said that over 2 km of the canals are lost to encroachments and this has caused the water to enter the village. “We had urged the Public Works Department(PWD) and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) many times to clear the encroachments. Though the Madras high court has passed an order to clear encroachment, the officials in the Dharmapuri district administration have been negligent.
Tamilarasan also added that these canals have not been renovated for many years and this has resulted in the overgrowth of shrubs along the canals. DRDA officials said that they will look into the matter. “So far we have not received any petition regarding the matter and if there is a problem, efforts will be taken to prevent such situations,” they said.