Tiruchi: Proposal to create additional facilities at Grand Anicut

THANJAVUR: Public Works Department (PWD) has sent a proposal to the Central Government for developing Grand Anicut with museum and other facilities at a cost of Rs. 6.90 crores.

The proposal includes beautification of Grand Anicut Canal running across Thanjavur from Irwin bridge to Nagai Road.

Official sources told “The Hindu” that the proposal was sent on October one, 2009.

The proposal titled “Development of Kallanai (Grand Anicut) under Government of India scheme,” envisaged construction of a museum with a ground floor, first floor and second floor at a cost of Rs. 2.43 crores out of the total amount.

The ground floor will be raised with high ceiling and an aquarium.

The second floor will have a viewpoint with telescopic arrangement so that the people can see the entire Grand Anicut.

The museum will depict the meandering of the Cauvery from Coorg i.e., Thalai Cauvery till it reached the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar.

Theme park

A children’s theme park, water sports and adventure sports will be added to the existing park.

Construction of wayside public conveniences and basic amenities will be taken up under the scheme.

Walk ways will be provided on the Vennar right bank and Cauvery lift bank.

Amenities will be provided for people to take holy dip in the Cauvery.

Bathing ghats and fleet of steps will be built with aesthetic look like the ones at Somnath Temple at Gujarath. This will be done at a cost of Rs. 87 lakhs.

Beautification of Grand Anicut canal in Thanjavur will be taken up from Irwin Bridge to Nagai Road at a cost of Rs. 1.50 crores.

Walk ways

Walk ways will be provided on both the banks of Grand Anicut in the stretch.

Proposals for converting Vennar Vettar head near Thirukattupalli have been sent to the Government.

G. Srinivasan – From THE HINDU

PWD takes up work on desilting of rivers, canals

At a cost of Rs.3.77 crore in Thanjavur district

THANJAVUR: With a view to providing flood relief in vulnerable areas and enhancing irrigation in some areas, desilting of rivers and canals has been taken up by the Public Works Department this year at a cost of Rs.3.77 crore in the district.

RELIEF:Desilting in progress in Thanjavur on Saturday. — Photo: M. Srinath.

Works are going on a war-footing at many places. Vazhaipoo drainage at Palli Agraharam is desilted at a cost of Rs.3 lakh. It remained a flood-prone canal as water from various canals like Vettar and Vennar drained into it.

Following an appeal made by people in that area and after having seen the floods last year, Collector M.S. Shanmugham included the canal in the list for desilting. People said that the desilting would provide them flood relief this year. “This is an important work,” they said and thanked the Collector, who saw the works on Saturday.

Yet another important work was desilting of Konakidangalar near Ammanpettai. Branching out from the Cauvery, Konakidangalar runs as an irrigation canal for two km and later turns into a drainage canal running to 22 km via Nemam, Therku Pazhamaneri, Thirukattuppalli, Onpathuveli, Kandamangalam, Varahur, Anthili, Ambathumelnagaram, Kuzhimathur, Vellaprambur, Umayaval Arcot, Keelathirupanthuruthi and Kattukottai. It has an ayacut of 2,988 acres. This area became flood-prone last year. Because of the silt, floodwater could not be drained easily.

Desilting is done at a cost of Rs.3.50 lakh now. The Collector saw this work also on Saturday. Gorikulam canal near Pudupattinam railway bridge here is being desilted at a cost of Rs.3.50 lakh.Residential areas in this area will get flood relief because of the work. People in the area said that the canal had not been desilted for many years.

“The area will remain flood-prone every monsoon and we cannot get out of our houses. This time it may not be so, thanks to the desilting works,” people of Azhagarasan Nagar, beneficiaries of the desilting work told the Collector who saw the work.

He also inspected desilting of Vettar and Jambu Cauvery near Panaveli. The Collector later told presspersons that desilting works to the tune of Rs.2.17 crore had already been completed in the district. Ninety per cent of the works taken up under non-plan scheme at a cost of Rs.1.60 crore had also been completed.

Ten per cent of the works is going on and they will be completed before June-end. In works where agriculture engineering machinery is used, works will continue till water reached that area after release from Mettur dam. Asked his opinion about the works, the Collector said that “PWD has done an extremely good work.”

“Only need based and area specific works were taken up this year. Flood relief is one aim. We identified flood-prone areas in the floods last year and took up works in those areas. Works were taken up on the basis of utility also,” the Collector said.

Besides desilting, repair of shutters, sluices and masonry works have been taken up at a cost of Rs.1.64 crore. Fifty-two works have been taken up. S. Kannan, Executive Engineer, Cauvery division, K. Nehru, Executive Engineer, Vennar division, T. Benthamil Selvan, Executive Engineer, GA canal division, accompanied the Collector during his visit.

From THE HINDU

Madurai: Water released from Vaigai dam

For irrigattion in Sivaganga, Ramnad

MADURAI: The State Government on Wednesday cleared the Public Works Department’s proposal to release water for irrigating farm lands in Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts.

The Executive Engineer (Periyar-Vaigai Basin circle), S. Vijayakumar, said that 40,743 acres in Sivaganga and 67,837 acres in Ramanathapuram would benefit from the release.

Initially, 1,500 cusecs of Vaigai credit of water from the Vaigai dam was being released from Wednesday evening. Mr. Vijayakumar said the quantum of water for each district would be decided based on the requirement and rainfall in those areas. The modalities for quantum of release were being worked out, he said.

The PWD has sought the water release after the Vaigai dam started overflowing since Sunday. The water level has since then stood at 69 feet (maximum level 71 feet) with the entire inflow to the dam being discharged.

From THE HINDU

Tamilnadu: 10 dams in southern districts overflowing

MADURAI: Ten out of the 32 dams in nine southern districts under the jurisdiction of the Water Resources Organisation, Madurai Region, of the Public Works Department have surplussed in the past few days.

Among the 7,287 irrigation tanks in the region, including eight districts and a portion of Dindigul district, 1,651 tanks are filled to the brim. Almost an identical number of tanks have water up to 75 per cent of their capacity.

Among the overflowing reservoirs, four each are in Theni and Tirunelveli districts. Vaigai, Shanmuganadi, Marudhanadi and Sothuparai dams in Theni district and Karupappandi, Gundar, Gadana and Ramanadi in Tirunelveli district have surplussed.

Both the districts, along the Western Ghats, have been largely benefited by the recent rain, says P. Ramamoorthy, Chief Engineer, WRO, Madurai Region.

The rain in the Western Ghats has also benefited the Mullaperiyar dam, which is just one foot short of overflowing.

The Marudhanadi dam in Dingidul and Sasthakoil dam in Virudhunagar district are the two others overflowing. Three major dams in Tirunelveli district — Papanasam, Manimuthar and Servalar — have significant storage.

Poor storage

However, the districts of Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar continue to have poor storage in the tanks.

Just three tanks (out of the total 1,115) in Sivaganga have water to their capacity. Eighteen (out of 342) tanks in Virudhunagar and 26 (out of 623) tanks in Ramanathapuram are full.

“We have sought the State government’s permission to fill the system tanks in Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts with (the 3,600 mcft of) Vaigai credit in the reservoir,” Mr. Ramamoorthy said.

Vaigai credit water, divided into 12 parts, is distributed among Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts. While Sivaganga is eligible for three parts, Ramanathapuram gets seven. Madurai district is eligible for two parts.

As of now, the surplus water from the Vaigai dam is being used to fill the Big Tank in Ramanathapuram.

From THE HINDU

Clearing of wild growth in the Vaigai begins

FOR A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: Wild growth in Vaigai riverbed being removed — Photo: G. Moorthy on Saturday.

MADURAI: Public Works Department has begun clearing of wild growth in the Vaigai riverbed in the city limits on Saturday.

Besides clearing the jungle growth, the riverbed re-grading would be done filling up the pits on the river.

These pits often pose threat to the lives of city residents who venture into the river.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, M.K. Alagiri, had instructed the officials to clear the bushes that were affecting the smooth flow of water.

The Minister also inspected the work that began near the Arapalayam causeway.

A PWD Engineer said that flow of water on a narrow stretch during majority parts of the year creates pits on the riverbed.

These pits are not visible while the flow of water increases during rainy season and people get trapped in those deeper pits.

Recently, an engineering student lost life after he fell into the river.

PWD Executive Engineer, S. Vijayakumar, Assistant Executive Engineer, Ilango and Assistant Engineer, C. P. Mohankumar.

From THE HINDU