Minister Duraimurugan opens canal rejuvenated to forestall flooding and enhance irrigation

Minister for Water Resources, Duraimurugan on Wednesday inaugurated the restored left canal of Mordhana Dam, which is maintained by Water Resources Department (WRD), in Gudiyatham city close to Katpadi in Vellore.

Officials of WRD, who carried out the work, at a value of ₹ 2.5 crore, stated that the restoration work was a long-standing demand of farmers and residents within the area as desilting work, which is being achieved for the primary time for the reason that dam was inbuilt 2001, will assist to forestall inundation of Gudiyatham and Katpadi taluks throughout monsoon.

“The restoration will assist to forestall any wastage of water by weeds. Farmers will get water for irrigation on time as water can freely move within the canal after its restoration,” stated B. Pandi, a farmer.

At current, whole storage capability of the reservoir, which is constructed throughout the Koundinya river, a tributary of the Palar, is 261.3 mcft. WRD officers stated that originally, desilting work has been accomplished on the left canal, which runs 31.84 kms distance, masking not less than 19 villages with round 1,710.92 hectares of farmland. This is principally because of the giant tract of land underneath cultivation alongside the left canal, which is three metres extensive.

While water from the Koundinya river straight irrigates round 140 acres, one other 220 acres within the area are irrigated by water from the canal. “Thick vegetation on the canal mattress has prevented regular move of water. It resulted in breach of its bund, leading to inundation. The work has been accomplished forward of the northeast monsoon,” R. Ramkumar, Assistant Engineer (AE), PWD (Katpadi), informed The Hindu. 

As a part of work, WRD officers stated that desilting of canal mattress was achieved underneath the Rehabilitation and Restoration of Lakes scheme 2024-25. Deposited silt on the canal mattress is eliminated to a depth of three metres to make sure regular water move on it. Growth of thick vegetation particularly on bund and slope of the bund has additionally been eliminated. 

During subject research, WRD officers stated they discovered breach of the canal not less than in 10 spots on the bund, which is 5 metres in peak. Protection wall, which will likely be six ft in peak, to a distance of 500 metres at these spots has been constructed to forestall any water seepage throughout monsoon.