TIRUPPUR: The Public Works Department (PWD) has sent a proposal to the state government to desilt the Thirumoorthy dam in Udumalaipet at a cost of Rs 154-crore. The 60-ft deep dam was constructed in 1966 and has a capacity to store 1,755 Mcft of water. Currently, the water level is at 48.55-ft and storage is 1274 Mcft (as of January 30, 2024).
Speaking to TNIE, executive engineer - water resource organisation (WRO) -PWD A Mahendran said, “Since the dam has been never been desilted, we prepared a proposal to desilt it at Rs 154 crore and sent it to the government for approval. Also, we have allowed farmers to collect vandal (silt) from the dam free of cost. I believe around 3.71 lakh cubic feet of vandal sand can be be taken by farmers.”
Speaking to TNIE, Udumalaipet MLA and former minister S Radhakrishnan said, “Desilting of the Thirumoorthy dam is a long pending process. I raised the issue in the Assembly in 2019. The then CM Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that all dams and reservoirs should be desilted. Recently, Tamil Nadu Committee on Government Assurance - Chairman T Velmurugan questioned the need for desilting the dam during a review meeting in Tiruppur. I am glad that the proposal has finally been prepared and sent for approval. I hope it will be cleared soon.”
Speaking to TNIE, PAP Farmers Welfare Association - Treasurer S Vijaysekar said, “The dam is located in the mountains in Western Ghats. When there is a heavy rush of water through streams from mountains, it brings huge volumes of sand and silt to the dam. As a result, the water holding capacity gets reduced over time. Only after desilting the entire dam will the volume of water be raised. The dam caters to more than 500 villages.”