Tirunelveli Collector inspects irrigation channels, associated tanks; officials told to complete desilting before August

District Collector R. Sukumar has instructed the Water Resources Department officials to desilt all irrigation channels and remove the waterweeds, especially water hyacinth, clogging the flow of water through these channels before August this year

District Collector R. Sukumar has instructed the Water Resources Department officials to desilt all irrigation channels and remove the waterweeds, especially water hyacinth, clogging the flow of water through these channels before August this year.

Whenever water is released in the irrigation channels under the Tamirabharani Basin without proper desilting of these canals, farmers would complain that the ranches in tail-end areas were not getting water because of the channels being choked with waterweeds, particularly water hyacinth. Random dumping of waste and debris in the irrigation channels had made desilting an uphill task for the official machinery.

Even though the rural and urban local bodies along the irrigation channels warned the public against randam dumping of waste, civic body had not registered any criminal complaint against anyone defying this dictum. Since the WRD, the custodian of waterbodies and irrigation channels turned a blind eye to this serious problem, farmers’ ordeals continue indefinitely.

Consequently, farmers participating in the redress meet would repeatedly appeal to the Collector seeking clear instructions to the WRD officials for desilting the irrigation channels and removal of waterweeds before the release of water from the Papanasam and the Manimuthar Dams. Hence, he visited the irrigation channels at Moolikulam, Udaiyaarpattikulam, Vazhukkodai, Kandigaiperi, Krishnaperi, Ilanthaikulam, Thaeneerkulam, Chathramputhukkulam, Chettikulam, Azhaganeri, and Piraayankulam, all getting water from Palayam and Tirunelveli Channels.

Although water from the dams would be released for ‘kar’ paddy season in June or July every year during the southwest monsoon, steps had not been taken so far by the WRD for cleaning the channels to receive the water. Most irrigation channels carrying water from the dams and the canals connecting the main irrigation channels and the tanks had been submerged by water hyacinth.

The Collector, after visiting Tirunelveli and Palayam channels and some of the irrigation tanks associated with these channels, instructed the officials to desilt the channels before the start of northeast monsoon in October.

“Besides cleaning the irrigation channels, the bunds of the irrigation tanks connected to these channels should be strengthened. All these works should be completed by August,” Mr. Sukumar told the officials.