ERODE: The water leakage in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) Canal network would be plugged soon, said Tamil Nadu Housing Minister S Muthusamy on Tuesday.
Officials have been instructed to fix the leakage within two days and resume releasing water from the dam for irrigation, he said.
On August 15, water was opened from the Lower Bhavani Dam to the LBP Canal for phase-1 of LBP irrigation. However, on Monday evening, water leakage was found in a rainwater drain across the canal near Nallampatti (47 miles from the LBP Canal). After a while, the leak became bigger. Subsequently, the water released from the dam into the LBP Canal was stopped, angering farmers.
On Tuesday, at around 6 am, Minister S Muthusamy and Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara and others visited the spot. They also gave necessary instructions to the Water Resources Department.
Speaking to reporters, the Minister said, "The rainwater drain that leaked was very old. It could not be repaired due to a lack of time during the canal renovation work . Next year this rainwater drain will be fully renovated. For now, the officials have been directed to take necessary measures to stop the water leakage temporarily. We have instructed to complete the work within two days. After that water will be opened for irrigation from the dam."
"The Athikadavu-Avinashi project will not be affected due to the temporary closure of the water release to the LBP Canal," he added.
Speaking to TNIE, P Thirumoorthy, Executive Engineer of LBP, said, "As soon as the leak was detected, we went to the spot. We immediately went inside the drain and examined it. After that, the release of water into the dam was stopped. We are working on a temporary solution for now. Water will be opened for irrigation soon."
"That rainwater drain is to be renovated as per the new G.O. It's on the list. It will be repaired after the completion of the water release from the dam to the LBP Canal. At present, 70 % of LBP renovation work has been completed," he added.
Meanwhile, a section of farmers alleged that the canal renovation work was not carried out properly. "That drain is very weak. In the G.O., the government has ordered the repair of the rainwater drain where the water leaked. However, the officials have not taken any steps to repair that rainwater drain before releasing water. Political pressures are also the reason for this," said KV Ponnaiyan, Secretary of Lower Bhavani Ayacut Land Owners Association.