TIRUPPUR: After a long gap of more than 30 years, five tunnels that are part of the contour canal, which carries water from Parambikulam dam to the Thirumoorthy dam, have been de-silted recently, bringing cheer to farmers.
According to an official in WRO-PWD, the tunnel which measures 10-12 feet in width was built in the early 1960s. The tunnels run up to 8 km in the canal, of which 4 km pass under the Navamalai hill. Renovation of the contour canal started three months ago.
“We started cleaning the tunnels on July 7 and completed it on July 31. It was a complex task as the tunnels were narrow. Small earth movers were used to remove and carry the debris, including rocks, and tree branches.”
PAP farmers welfare association treasurer P Vijaysekar said, “Most of the time, officials from water resource organisation (WRO) removed obstruction near the opening of the tunnel, but not inside. So, we were unable to utilise the full capacity of the tunnels which is around 1,150 mcft. Because of the obstructions, only around 800 mcft of water flowed to the dam.
As a result, it would take more time for the Thirumoorthi dam to fill up even if water flow is continuous. We have submitted several petitions to the administration seeking desilting. Thank god, it has been done now. Officials must expedite renovation of the canal also.”
Tamil Nadu farmers association (Udumalaipet) president U Paramasivam said,” We are happy that the tunnel cleaning work has been completed in 20 days. Debris blocked water flow in the tunnels and we did not benefit from the PAP irrigation system. But the WRO-PWD department has finally cleared the tunnels. We hope the canal renovation will end soon.”