Residents of Thenjiyendal in Paramakudi taluk thronged the Collectorate on Monday urging the district administration to order desilting of the village ‘kanmai’ (waterbody), their only water resource for irrigation and drinking water.
Led by G. Boselingam, a large number of villagers visited the Collectorate on the grievance redressal day and urged Collector S. Natarajan to issue necessary orders for desilting the waterbody.
Stating that the waterbody was maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), they alleged that it had not been desilted for nearly 50 years and their repeated representations had been of no avail.
One and a half years ago, officials inspected the ‘kanmai’ and suggested that they removed the karuvelam trees, which infested the waterbody before they started the work. The villagers, on their own removed the trees but the officials never visited again, they said.
Mr. Boselingam said the waterbody had full storage a couple of years ago when the Vaigai water was diverted. Even then, the villagers pooled money and cleaned up the ‘kanmai,’ spending about ₹ 36,000, he said. The village came under Vairavanendal panchayat and it did not give any money, they added.
The waterbody catered to the irrigation needs of about 100 acres of agriculture lands. Besides, it served as the only water source to cater to the drinking water needs of about 300 families in the village, he said.
When the district administration allowed farmers to desilt the ‘kanmais’ and ‘ooranies’ in their areas and take the silt and earth free of cost, they could not apply for the permission as they did not have the wherewithal, he said.
They would not mind if the government allowed even outsiders to desilt the waterbody, he said. As they could not meet the Collector, they handed over their petition to an official, he also said.
