CHENNAI: The state government has told the Madras High Court that 6,569 out of the total 14,138 tanks under the Water Resources Department (WRD) have been encroached upon.
According to the submissions made by Special Government Pleader R Anita before the first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, the total encroachments identified on the waterbodies in the state are 98,875. She said as many as 20,150 encroachments, measuring up to an area of 3,243 hectares, have been removed so far and that steps for eviction of encroachments are being taken as per the Tamil Nadu Protection of Tanks and Eviction of Encroachment Act, 2007.
As per action taken under the TN Land Encroachment Act, 1905, as of June 30, 2023, as many as 1,918 waterbodies were identified as encroached upon and eviction started in 405 tanks. Against a total of 93,652 encroachments identified, 15,617 encroachments, measuring 15,617 hectares, were removed.
It is also submitted that as of March 2020, 1,166 forks were categorised into five types: 435 firkas over-exploited, 63 critical, 225 semi-critical, 409 safe and 34 saline/poor quality. In the report of dynamic groundwater resources, 2022 published by the Central Ground Water Board, the safe firkas increased by 54, semi-critical increased by 6 and critical firkas decreased by 75.
The submissions were made in response to a public interest litigation petition filed by G Devarajan seeking orders to protect waterbodies from encroachment.
The bench noted the executive engineer of Kosasthalaiyar basin division has informed that restoration works are being taken up 2,300 tanks under a World Bank-funded programme.
Similar measures have also been taken up in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchy and Coimbatore regions.