Check dams, causeway across Kaundinya river in Vellore inaugurated
The Minister was accompanied by Collector V.R. Subbulaxmi, and senior officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD).
'The check dams will help irrigate at least 560 hectares of farmlands in the region. Moreover, local bodies can sink borewells along the facilities to draw water for consumption,' S. Kalipriyarn, Assistant Engineer, WRD (Gudiyatham), told The Hindu.
Funded by NABARD under the Permanent Floods Restoration Scheme 2023-24, the check dams were built at a cost of ₹25 crore. Each 120-metre-long and 1.2-metre-tall facility has a capacity of 2.51 mcft (million cubic feet) and can discharge 53,000 cusecs of floodwater.
They will help recharge at least 530 farmwells in the region. Around 10-12 farming villages will benefit as groundwater within a three-km radius from the facilities would increase.
After a long struggle, residents in Gudiyatham and adjoining farming villages now have a causeway, built at a cost of ₹8.41 crore using funds from NABARD. It connects Thalayatham with Sunnabupettai village across the river.
The causeway measures 104.2 metres in length and 2.7 metres in height (from the riverbed) with 10 vents. It can discharge 58,000 cusecs per minute of floodwater during monsoon. Officials said such high discharge of rainwater would prevent the facility from being flooded.
'Earlier, we had to take a detour of at least 20 km to reach Gudiyatham, Pernambut, and Pallikonda towns. School vans and ambulances had to navigate a long sandy route. The new bridge has ended our ordeal,' S. Pechiammal, a resident, said.
A 500-metre-long tiled walking track was also inaugurated. It was built at a cost of ₹2.91 crore on the left bund of the river. Steel fencing has been erected to prevent accidents, officials say.
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