Flood carrier channel receives water to enthuse rain shadow region farmers of Radhapuram, Sattankulam

For the second time since it became ready to receive surplus floodwater of the Tamirabharani River in 2023, the 73-km-long flood carrier channel, which has been dug from Vellankuzhi beyond Cheranmahadevi in the district to M.L. Theri near Sattankulam in Thoothukudi district, has started receiving water again, thanks to the recent widespread downpour in the district and consequent increased discharge of water from Manimuthar and Papanasam dams.

After a prolonged delay of nearly 10 years, since 2009, the flood carrier channel has been dug at an outlay of ₹950 crore by linking the Tamirabharani, Karumeniyar, and Nambiyar Rivers to divert the surplus water of the Tamirabharani to the dry regions of Nanguneri, Radhapuram, and Sattankulam areas. This channel received the floodwater for the first time in 2023 after it was inaugurated and the flow was not decent last year.

Following significant rainfall this year, the flood carrier channel received water a couple of weeks ago. After the widespread rainfall in the district, 500 cusecs of Koraiyar, a tributary of the Tamirabharani, was released in the flood carrier channel recently to check the sturdiness of the embankment along the canal.

As the bund was firm enough to carry the water, 3,200 cusecs of water was released in the canal on Monday even as the Tamirabharani was swelling with 32,000 cusecs of water released from Papanasam, Manimuthar, Gadananadhi and Ramanadhi dams.

The surplus water released in the canal crossed the Tirunelveli – Kanniyakumari four-lane highway on Monday evening and is expected to reach the tail-end areas by Wednesday (November 26).

Of 3,200 cusecs of water, 600 cusecs have been diverted from Karumeniyar to Nambiyar, and 400 cusecs to Vijayanarayanam tank, one of the largest irrigation tanks in the district. The beneficiary areas M.L. Theri (500 cusecs), Suviseshapuram tank (380 cusecs), Aayankulam Padugai (200 cusecs) and the remaining water will be diverted to the seven check-dams under Karumeniyar for irrigation and recharging groundwater table.

“Even though rainfall has come down for now, we expect more rounds of downpour in the catchment areas in the days to come which will eventually jack-up the discharge of floodwater from the dams in the Tamirabharani River. So, we hope that the flood carrier channel will take water up to M.L. Theri, the tail-end region of this project, this year for reviving farming on over 50,000 acres in this rain shadow region,” said Radhapuram MLA and Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu.

He said the PWD officials had been asked to monitor the embankments along the 73-km-long canal since it could get damaged due to heavy downpour en route.