Kambarasampettai check dam site gets a makeover
With the check dam across the Cauvery at
Kambarasampettai in the city being commissioned by Chief Minister
Jayalalithaa on Monday, the Public Works Department has taken steps to
create a green cover at the site which has become a popular hangout for
city residents.
The Public Works Department has
created a walking track along the riverbank. The department has planted
about 200 saplings near the check dam site.
Once
these saplings grow, the area is likely sport a green canopy and it
could be gradually developed, sources in the department told The Hindu.
The
check dam was built at a cost of Rs. 32 crore near Kambarasampettai on
the outskirts of the city in an attempt to shore up rainwater and water
released from the Mettur reservoir and help contribute improve the water
table in the region.
The check dam runs across the river for 550 metres and stands at about 1.5 metres in height from the bed level.
The
construction of the check dam has helped the Tiruchirapalli City
Corporation to tide over the summer without too many problems as the
city’s drinking water sources got some much-needed wetting. But for city
residents starved of entertainment avenues, the water spread and sylvan
surroundings around the check dam located less than about 2 km away
from the Chathram Bus Stand has proved to be an ideal leisure hangout,
especially during evenings and weekends.
With people
thronging the check dam in droves, the PWD has been forced to put in
place some regulatory arrangements at the spot. An arch and a fence have
been erected to restrict parking of vehicles at the entrance. People
are allowed only on foot beyond this point.
The PWD
officials have been wary of people bathing in the water upstream the
check dam where the depth could run for about five feet. Although
caution sign boards have been placed, youths often ignored them. The
department has put up a guard room and posted its staff on a shift
system to maintain a vigil. In view of the unruly behaviour and
undesirable activities by some elements, the Public Works Department has
requested the police to keep tabs especially during weekends and
holidays whenever there is a large turnout.
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