Flood carrier channel receives water to enthuse rain shadow region farmers of Radhapuram, Sattankulam

For the 2nd clip since it became acceptable to person surplus floodwater of the Tamirabharani River successful 2023, the 73-km-long flood bearer channel, which has been dug from Vellankuzhi beyond Cheranmahadevi successful the territory to M.L. Theri adjacent Sattankulam successful Thoothukudi district, has started receiving h2o again, acknowledgment to the caller wide downpour successful the territory and consequent accrued discharge of h2o from Manimuthar and Papanasam dams.

After a prolonged hold of astir 10 years, since 2009, the flood bearer transmission has been dug astatine an outlay of ₹950 crore by linking the Tamirabharani, Karumeniyar, and Nambiyar Rivers to divert the surplus h2o of the Tamirabharani to the adust regions of Nanguneri, Radhapuram, and Sattankulam areas. This transmission received the floodwater for the archetypal clip successful 2023 aft it was inaugurated and the travel was not decent past year.

Following important rainfall this year, the flood bearer transmission received h2o a mates of weeks ago. After the wide rainfall successful the district, 500 cusecs of Koraiyar, a tributary of the Tamirabharani, was released successful the flood bearer transmission precocious to cheque the sturdiness of the embankment on the canal.

As the bund was steadfast capable to transportation the water, 3,200 cusecs of h2o was released successful the canal connected Monday adjacent arsenic the Tamirabharani was swelling with 32,000 cusecs of h2o released from Papanasam, Manimuthar, Gadananadhi and Ramanadhi dams.

The surplus h2o released successful the canal crossed the Tirunelveli – Kanniyakumari four-lane road connected Monday evening and is expected to scope the tail-end areas by Wednesday (November 26).

Of 3,200 cusecs of water, 600 cusecs person been diverted from Karumeniyar to Nambiyar, and 400 cusecs to Vijayanarayanam tank, 1 of the largest irrigation tanks successful the district. The beneficiary areas M.L. Theri (500 cusecs), Suviseshapuram vessel (380 cusecs), Aayankulam Padugai (200 cusecs) and the remaining h2o volition beryllium diverted to the 7 check-dams nether Karumeniyar for irrigation and recharging groundwater table.

“Even though rainfall has travel down for now, we expect much rounds of downpour successful the catchment areas successful the days to travel which volition yet jack-up the discharge of floodwater from the dams successful the Tamirabharani River. So, we anticipation that the flood bearer transmission volition instrumentality h2o up to M.L. Theri, the tail-end portion of this project, this twelvemonth for reviving farming connected implicit 50,000 acres successful this rainfall shadiness region,” said Radhapuram MLA and Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu.

He said the PWD officials had been asked to show the embankments on the 73-km-long canal since it could get damaged owed to dense downpour en route.