World Bank team inspects irrigation projects in Tiruchi, Ariyalur districts

TIRUCHI

 A four-member team representing World Bank inspected development works executed with financial assistance from the bank in Tiruchi and Ariyalur districts on Tuesday.

Thirty-one irrigation tanks and 29 anicuts in Tiruchi district and 19 tanks in Ariyalur district are being renovated at a total cost of about ₹56.95 crore under the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation (TN IAM) Project supported by World Bank.

 The team inspected some of the refurbished irrigation tanks, including Kandiratheertham tank in Ariyalur district and Singalanthapuram tank near Thuraiyur in Tiruchi district. The Kandiratheertham tank, constructed during the reign of King Raja Raja Chola about 1,000 years ago, was renovated under the project at an investment of about ₹4.50 crore.

The Singalanthapuram tank and the Thiruthalaiyur anicut in Tiruchi district were also renovated under the project.  The team comprising Farbod Youssefi, senior agriculture specialist, Joop Stoutjesdijk, water resource management specialist, Ram Subramanian, sustainable development and rural development specialist/consultant, and Krishnan, consultant, inspected the three works and interacted with farmers on the benefits of the renovation works.

A team of Public Works Department officials led by R. Thiruvettai Selvam, Superintending Engineer, Middle Cauvery Basic Circle, R. Manimohan, Executive Engineering (EE), River Conservation Division, P. Manickam, EE, Quality Control, A .Nityanandan, EE, Ariyar Division, K.Jayaraman, Assistant Executive Engineer, RC Division, and U. Arivoli, Assistant Engineer, briefed the team.

The team members will inspect other works in the delta districts on Wednesday, PWD sources said.