CHENNAI: Farmers have expressed concern over Water Resources Department Minister Duraimurugan’s recent statement that it may not be scientifically feasible to desilt Mettur and other reservoirs, months after a government order (GO) was issued to desilt four reservoirs.
On July 26, the government approved a project to restore the original capacity of the Mettur, Vaigai, Pechipparai, and Amaravathy reservoirs, which includes removing 13.75 million cubic meters of sediment from Mettur over four years. A project estimate of Rs 3.6 crore was prepared to obtain environmental clearance.
However, Duraimurugan stated that reservoirs are not desilted anywhere in the world and that sand would naturally wash away with the water flow.
Farmers are concerned whether the state intends to abandon the desilting of Mettur Dam, which has not undergone maintenance since its construction in 1934.
KV Elankeeran, president of the Federation of Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, said, “Farmers have been urging the government to desilt Mettur reservoir to increase its capacity, which is essential for agriculture in the region.”
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department (WRD) on Sunday issued a release stating that the tenders to desilt Vaigai and Amaravathy will be floated on November 13 and 20, respectively. Additionally, the tenders for Mettur and Pechipparai have already been opened.
A. Veerappan, former special chief engineer of PWD and state general secretary of the Tamil Nadu PWD Senior Engineers Association, said, “Water regulators like Mukkombu, Mayanur barrage, Jedarpalayam, and the Grand Anicut do not require desilting, as they have vents that allow sand to wash away with the water flow. However, in reservoirs like Mettur, such systems are absent, and desilting is necessary.”
The Central Water Commission conducts sedimentation surveys in reservoirs and submits reports every five years. As per the report submitted in 2020, Tamil Nadu needs to desilt all its reservoirs, as their storage capacity has been reduced by 25% (approximately 50 tmcft), Veerappan added.
