Check dam across Cauvery to be ready by end of June
With the ground water table depleting rapidly in view of the drought
like conditions, Tiruchi Corporation has just begun to dig additional
borewells on the river bed. Next summer, it will most likely be spared
of the trouble. Just a few metres downstream the place where the
borewells are being dug up, men and machines are working at a feverish
pace building a check dam that is expected to put an end to the worries
of the city water managers caused by the drying of the borewells.
The city’s water sources on the river bed are mostly likely to be
surrounded by water retained by the check dam once water is released
from Mettur reservoir for the next irrigation season.
Though it dealt a blow to the farmers in the delta, the early end to the
irrigation season last year owing to insufficient storage at Mettur dam
provided an extended window to the public works authority to expedite
the construction of the check dam near Kambarasampettai, just a few
metres away from the city’s main water sources.
Work has been in full swing since December after the water dried up in
the river. Although the work is scheduled for completion only in
February next year, as per the contract, nearly 75 per cent of the work
has already been completed.
PWD sources told The Hindu that they were hoping to complete all
the works on the river bed by the end of June, before release of water
from Mettur the next irrigation season, barring unusual heavy rain
during the summer. “We are working towards completing 95 per cent of the
project works by the end of June. Effectively, all works on check dam
structure on the river bed will have been completed by then, though
strengthening of the river bunds on both sides will take a couple of
more months,” said a PWD officer.
The check dam was sanctioned at a cost of Rs.32 crore following a public
outcry over the heavy exploitation of the river bed for a slew of
drinking water schemes catering to the needs of various cities and towns
as far as Ramanathapuram. Farmers of the region have been left worried
over the drastic fall in water table during the summer months.
The structure will run for a length of 550 metres and stand about 1.5
metres in height from the bed level. It will head up water for a stretch
of 1.50 km upstream and provide a continuous wetting of the river bed
so as to keep the drinking water collector wells sufficiently recharged,
especially in the summer. The check dam will also help recharge ground
water table for a radius of about four to five km. Construction of the
apron, the cut-off and toe walls has been completed. The body and
retaining walls are being built currently. Once this is completed, six
sand vents will be built.
Post a Comment