DHARMAPURI: Dharmapuri Collector K Santhi said that the innovative technique used by Mukkulam Panchayat in Karimangalam taluk to monitor power consumption and water supply should be used as a reference to upgrade water management in 251 village panchayats across the district.
In 2019, after K Kanchana Kannaperumal took charge as the Mukkulam panchayat president, she has been adopting various innovative policies to make the village self-sustaining. One of her latest initiatives is the use of a mobile app to monitor electricity and water consumption so that they can be efficiently managed, which has garnered a lot of appreciation for her.
Kanchana told TNIE, “As far as management is concerned, our first step was to ensure complete revival of five lakes in the panchayat, where a lot of Prosopis Juliflora were accumulated. We employed people under MNREGA to clear the lakes, and by using panchayat funds, we have planted over 2,100 fruit trees, including jackfruit, pomegranate, neem and amla, on the lake bed. The rains have accelerated their growth and soon they will become crucial to the panchayat development.”
“To improve water management, we had been collecting data on new technologies and came across a private app, which lets us remotely monitor the water levels in tanks and also auto start motors. Instead of letting the motor run for four to five hours daily, through real-time monitoring, we can effectively know the storage capacity of each tank and how long the motor should run through this app. It also alerts us about voltage fluctuations. This has saved electricity and water by almost 50%”, she added.
She also added that as the halogen street lights were consuming more power, over 450 lights were replaced with LED bulbs to save electricity. The collector told TNIE, “The model adopted by Kanchana is innovative and will reduce the expense generated in villages.
Further, the trees which have been planted in paramboke lands will be beneficial for the panchayat in the future. This approach will be beneficial for the future generations as well. We are also conducting a feasibility study to see if this method can be adopted in all rural villages in the district. If it is found to improve the conditions, we will adopt this method in all 251 village panchayats.”