TIRUCHY: The abrupt halt of the Rs 335-crore project for redevelopment of the old Kattalai High-Level Canal, which the water resources department (WRD) commenced in 2020, due to fund crunch has prolonged farmers’ years-long struggle to irrigate about 10,000 acres of farmlands in Tiruchy and Karur districts.
Mentioning inability to even take up sowing works due to the blockages in the irrigation canal’s course, farmers, particularly in the tail-end region, urge the authorities concerned to resume the redevelopment project at the earliest by allocating the required funds.
The canal, also known as the old Kattalai Mettu Vaickal, branches off from the southern banks of River Cauvery at the Mayanur barrage in Karur district and flows up to Thayanur in Tiruchy district, covering a distance of 63 kilometres. Around 23,000 acres spread across both districts are dependent on the canal for irrigation.
In an effort to reduce the time taken for the river water to reach the tail-end region to two hours from the current seven, the WRD commenced work on the canal’s redevelopment in 2020 at an estimate of Rs 335 crore. The project included the construction of concrete walls to replace the existing earthen banks on either side, construction of new sluices and clearing vegetation overgrowth in the canal.
When work was under way at the 44th kilometre of the 63-kilometre stretch, fund issues brought the project to a halt in 2021. "It was originally planned to execute the work using river sand. However, following a government policy mandating the use of M-sand instead, the cost escalated. As M-sand was being imported from Malaysia at the time, the allotted funds were not sufficient to complete the entire project," a senior WRD official explained.
When work was under way at the 44th kilometre of the 63-kilometre stretch, fund issues brought the project to a halt in 2021. "It was originally planned to execute the work using river sand. However, following a government policy mandating the use of M-sand instead, the cost escalated. As M-sand was being imported from Malaysia at the time, the allotted funds were not sufficient to complete the entire project," a senior WRD official explained.
With the work abruptly stopped, farmers in areas downstream of Inungur, who complain of blockage in the canal from vegetation overgrowth and dilapidated sluices, continue to struggle to receive the river water.
Although officials continue to release 400 cusecs of river water into the canal, the existing blockages in the unfinished stretch hinder flow to the tail-end areas, said Goundampatti Subramanian, deputy secretary of the Cauvery delta farmers' welfare association.
"The required volume of water is not reaching tail-end villages such as Kuruchi, Goundampatti, Koppu, Ettarai, Neithalur, Nachalur and Panaiyur, which depend on the 26th sluice. As a result, around 2,600 acres of farmland remain dry.
Moreover, sluices at the tail-end region are in a dilapidated condition and need to be reconstructed," he added. K Murugesan, a farmer from Thayanur Melakkadu, said that the inconsistent water flow to their region has affected all cultivation works, right from sowing.
When contacted, a senior WRD official confirmed that a proposal has been sent to the state government seeking funds to complete the remaining works. "We are hopeful that the required funds will be sanctioned soon. Once approved, we can complete work on the remaining portions as early as possible," the official told TNIE.