Association in Pongalur refutes charge of excess water utilisation
There was no deficiency in water distribution in the branch canals along the stretch from 87th km to the the end of the 124-km main canal, according to M. Deivasigamani, president of the Water Users' Association in Pongalur area.
In the third-zone wetting to irrigate 93734 acres, the acreage in irrigational area in Pongalur division encompasses 17,801 acres, while Palladam and Vellakovil-Kangayam branch canals irrigate 3,254 acres and 12,000 acres respectively.
'Factoring in distribution/evaporation losses, the Water Resources Department has been letting in 31 cusecs above the mandated extent of 100 cusecs at 4.5 Full Scale Deflection (FSD) into the Vellakovil branch canal for 15 days since January 2022,' Mr. Deivasigamani claimed.
The contention of the tail-end farmers is that the dynamics of water flow at the 108th km in Andipalayam reading point and the extent of accrual at the starting point of Vellakovil branch canal is not in conformity with the claim.
At times of less rainfall, the Water Resources Department ought to follow the pattern under practice in all other canals for ensuring reach to the ayacut in tail-end areas. The issue of lesser water realisation in tail-end areas consisting of additional ayacut that had been included in an originally-specified project area was perennial in canal-irrigation pattern, Mr. Deivasigamani explained.
In the PAP main canal, there was hope, by and large, among farmers downstream that the issue of excess utilisation by farmers along the upper course will be addressed decisively when the impending modernisation works are carried out by the Water Resources Department, Mr. Deivasigamani said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
Rejuvenation of Saduperi irrigation tank near Vellore on fast track
Work to build man-made islands for local migratory birds, a boating facility, and a tiled walking track for visitors at Saduperi irrigation tank near Vellore Corporation limits on Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) is on fast track with the deepening of the waterbody nearing completion. Minister Duraimurugan inspected the ongoing work, which was started in March by the Water Resources Department (WRD) that maintains the tanks, and urged officials to expedite the remaining works. 'The perennial tank helps to recharge the groundwater covering at least 8-10 villages in its surroundings. Most of these areas are farming villages,' E. Amrish, Assistant Engineer (AE), WRD (Vellore Anaicut), told The Hindu. Spread over 250 hectares, the tank, on average, can store 205 mcft (million cubic feet) of water. Under the Rehabilitation and Restoration of Twin Lakes scheme, the WRD took up the rejuvenation work at a cost of ₹19 crore. As part of it, Saduperi is being desilted to the original depth of 6.5 metres. The tank will be deepened to store additional rainwater during the monsoon. A tiled walkers' path is also being laid on the bund of the tank to a distance of 1.5 km. Hand failings are also fitted to prevent walkers, especially children, from falling into the tank. Steel seating arrangements will also be built on the walking track with adequate lighting facilities. Two man-made islands are being created at the centre of the tank to attract tourists. Native tree species will be planted on the islands. Saplings will be procured free of cost from the Department of Horticulture and farmers. It will draw a large number of local migratory birds to the tank. Boating facilities will also be constructed. WRD officials said that the southern end of the tank has a lot of human settlements. Most of the garbage was dumped in the tank, resulting in pollution. To prevent such illegal dumping, a two-metre-high steel fence will be erected around the tank to a distance of 1,700 metres. As part of efforts to ease access to the tank, WRD will lay a bitumen approach road for around two km to connect the tank with the Corporation areas like Thorapadi and Konavattam. It will reduce a detour of at least 8-10 km. The new stretch will also help WRD officials to inspect the waterbody during monsoon easily. At present, more than 15,000 residents in at least eight surrounding villages depend on the tank for water consumption. Borewells were laid around the bund of the tank by local bodies to meet the water needs of its residents. Of the 519 tanks in Vellore, 101 tanks are maintained by the WRD, including 16 tanks in Vellore taluk alone.
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- The Hindu
Step up release and ensure Cauvery water reaches tail-end areas in Tiruchi district, farmers urge officials
A cross-section of farmers of Tiruchi on Friday urged the Water Resources Department (WRD) to ensure that Cauvery water reached the tail-end areas in the district. Speaking at the monthly agricultural grievances day meeting, presided over by Collector V. Saravanan, Goundampatti Subramanian, deputy secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers' Welfare Association, said farmers were happy about the timely opening of Mettur dam. Water had been released in most of 17 canals, including Uyyakondan, Peruvalai, Ayyan vaical, Kattalai High Level Canal on the upper reach of the Cauvery from Grand Anicut. It required 4,300 cusecs so that the water reached tail-end areas. Hence, the department should take steps to increase the flow in the canals. Several predominantly agricultural villages such as Ettarai, Koppu, Athavathur, Thayanur in the district faced short supply of water every year due to inefficient distribution mechanism. Considering the comfortable storage in Mettur dam, the authorities should ensure optimum release of water in the canals during the current season. GI tag for banana Ayilai Sivasurian, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, said several areas of Tiruchi and Karur districts, including Musiri, Srirangam, Lalgudi, Thiruverumbur, Krishnarayapuram, and Kulithalai, were known for top quality nendran banana. It had a great demand in Kerala. The nendran banana variety should be given geographical indication (GI) tag. Similarly, elarasi variety of banana, which was being produced in Tiruchi district, had been enjoying high patronage in Karnataka. Hence, the State government should take steps to get GI tag for both nendran and elarasi varieties of banana. The recognition would augur well for the farmers, who raise the banana varieties. There were reports of sale of adulterated seeds and fertilizers in the market. It would have severe impact on the production of agricultural commodities. Hence, the Agricultural Department should take steps to check the sale of adulterated seeds and fertilizers. P. Ayyakannu, president, Desiya Thenninthiya Nadhigal Inaippur Vivasayigal Sangam, said the district administration should take steps to provide 100 days employment to the workers of Kottathur enrolled in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- The Hindu
WRD, Danish team to launch second phase of project to map groundwater and reverse seawater intrusion in Minjur
Minjur, a locality in the city's northern fringes that has long battled seawater intrusion into its groundwater aquifers, will soon be the focus of an intensive study aimed at assessing the extent of exploitation and exploring strategies for its reversal. With the findings of a pilot study on groundwater mapping in Minjur validated, the Water Resources Department would expand the study along with Danish team in the Minjur belt. The phase II of the project will map the groundwater aquifer and arrest seawater incursion in the locality through Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). Officials of the WRD noted that the seawater has moved inland for about 15 km and the water quality has turned saline with a total dissolved solids level exceeding 10,000 ppm in several places. In a first step towards implementing the second phase of the project, the team from Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, WRD's State Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre and water resources experts discussed the aspects of MAR technology during a recent meeting. For many years now, Minjur residents rely on municipal and private water supply for all their needs as salinity ingress has affected coastal aquifer. 'Water drawn from wells in areas close to Kosasthalaiyar riverbank is yellow in colour. Groundwater is availabe at a depth of 40 feet but it has high iron content. Each family spends a minimum of Rs.2,000 on water every month,' said of Minjur. Noting that water quality has improved in sites along water bodies, residents wanted groundwater recharge projects to be executed on a large scale. Officials of the WRD said a network of 145 borewells would be sunk across 63 villages at various depths and distance to study the salinised acquifer. Every five km would have piezometers with various instruments like digital water level recorders and water quality sensors. The study would be carried out using s-Tem profiler, a geoscanner tool designed to acquire subsurface data and ideal for mapping groundwater aquifers. 'We are planning to concentrate more on the 15th km with three borewells sunk in each chosen site at various depths to assess the groundwater level and quality. This stretch would have 71 borewells sunk for the study,' said an official. Some of the villages to be covered include Amoor, Thachoor, Panjetty, Alamathi and old Gummidipoondi. The Rs.10 crore would help identify potential recharge zones to restore the freshwater balance by pushing salinity back towards the coast in five years. A combination of recharge structures, including recharge shafts, would be established through MAR and identify potential for extraction and recharge, said the official. The project would be scaled up to other over-exploited groundwater zones like Cuddalore and Thoothukudi. Visiting Faculty, Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering Group, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, who was part of the discussion, said Minjur belt is covered by data collection network of various government agencies and the new initiative would help enhance the ongoing efforts. Several recharge structures like check dams have indicated potential for harnessing groundwater. Citing his study on seawater intrusion in a coastal aquifer, he said largescale measures like interlinking of Araniar and Kosasthalaiyar rivers with a canal to transfer floodwaters and reviving water bodies are essential. Various measures, including interlinking of rivers, would help decrease the extent of seawater incursion by three km in 2030.
