Farmers call for early steps to renovate apron drownstream Cauvery barrage at Mukkombu

With the apron downstream the barrage across the Cauvery at Mukkombu (Upper Anicut) near Tiruchi remaining in a damaged condition over the past few years, farmers’ representatives of the region have called upon the government to sanction funds for its expeditious repair

With the apron downstream the barrage across the Cauvery at Mukkombu (Upper Anicut) near Tiruchi remaining in a damaged condition over the past few years, farmers’ representatives of the region have called upon the government to sanction funds for its expeditious repair.

The apron is a vital structure that prevents scouring due to water flow from the barrage. The concrete floor on the riverbed and huge boulders of the apron, downstream the barrage shutters across the Cauvery river at Mukkombu, had suffered extensive damage and lie in disarray.

Some of the huge concrete boulders lie in a heap at a few places and in some other places they have sunk into the river bed. The damage was largely caused due to the heavy discharge of water through the barrage for over a hundred days during the monsoon in 2021.

The barrages across the Cauvery and the Kollidam at Mukkombu are important irrigation structures for regulating the water flow to the delta. It is from here that the flow of water in the Cauvery and Grand Anicut is managed by the Water Resources Department. Whenever there is surplus flow, the water is diverted into Kollidam from here.

The barrage across the Cauvery was commissioned in 1977. The barrage running for a length of 594.30 metres was built between 1974 and 1977. It has been designed for a maximum discharge of 1,80,000 cusecs and nearly 12 lakh acres in the Delta region are irrigated through the barrage.

In 2024, the WRD had taken up a comprehensive repair work on the 41 shutters of the barrage at an estimated cost of ₹17 crore. However, the work did not cover the apron.

“The apron should be renovated immediately, lest it causes damage to the barrage foundation. It is vital that the barrage, which is an important irrigation regulator for the delta is properly maintained,” said Mahadhanapuram V. Rajaram, president, Cauvery Irrigation Farmers’ Welfare Association.