Projects to improve irrigation, drinking water supply initiated, says Puducherry Minister

The Puducherry government has set in motion several projects aimed at improving irrigation and drinking water supply in the Union Territory (UT).

The Puducherry government has set in motion several projects aimed at improving irrigation and drinking water supply in the Union Territory (UT).

Speaking to the media about the administrative steps taken by the government in this regard at the Legislative Assembly on Friday (October 4, 2024), Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan said the government has tendered the work to construct a check dam across Sankarabarani river at Sellipet-Pillaiyarkuppam.

The government has been planning to construct a check dam here ever since the century-old anicut at Sellipet-Pillaiyarkuppam got damaged due to the heavy discharge from Veedur dam into Sankarabarani during the northeast monsoon in 2021.

“The two tenders floated earlier were cancelled due to administrative reasons. Now, we have invited tenders to construct the check dam at a cost of around ₹29 crore. The construction of the check dam will help in the irrigation of a vast area of agriculture land in Bahour and Villianur regions. It will also help in recharging the groundwater,” the Minister said.

The PWD has also tendered the work to construct a protection wall on the left and right banks of the Pennaiyar at Kommanthanmedu. The strengthening of the wall in the upstream and downstream areas of the river will cost around ₹13 crore. Bids have also been invited for the construction of a single-lane bridge across Bahour Surplus Weir. All three projects would start by November, the Minister said.

He also said the public-sector undertaking, WAPCOS, has started preparing a report to rejuvenate the major lakes at Bahour, Kuruvinatham, Kirumampakkam, Ousteri, and Korkadu. “These five system tanks will be taken up for desilting first by WAPCOS. The entity will be involved in the restoration of all the 55 system tanks in Puducherry in a phased manner. Ninety percent of the cost for desilting and strengthening of the lakes will be incurred by the Centre and the remaining by the UT administration,” he said.

The desilting of the tanks would help increase the storage capacity of the waterbodies and assist in recharging the groundwater in Puducherry. A National Green Tribunal-appointed committee has given the clearance for launching a drinking water project at Ousteri lake, the Minister said.