With the check dam across the Cauvery at Kambarasampettai in the city being commissioned by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday, the Public Works Department has taken steps to create a green cover at the site which has become a popular hangout for city residents.
The Public Works Department has created a walking track along the riverbank. The department has planted about 200 saplings near the check dam site.
Once these saplings grow, the area is likely sport a green canopy and it could be gradually developed, sources in the department told The Hindu .
The check dam was built at a cost of Rs. 32 crore near Kambarasampettai on the outskirts of the city in an attempt to shore up rainwater and water released from the Mettur reservoir and help contribute improve the water table in the region.
The check dam runs across the river for 550 metres and stands at about 1.5 metres in height from the bed level.
The construction of the check dam has helped the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation to tide over the summer without too many problems as the city’s drinking water sources got some much-needed wetting. But for city residents starved of entertainment avenues, the water spread and sylvan surroundings around the check dam located less than about 2 km away from the Chathram Bus Stand has proved to be an ideal leisure hangout, especially during evenings and weekends.
With people thronging the check dam in droves, the PWD has been forced to put in place some regulatory arrangements at the spot. An arch and a fence have been erected to restrict parking of vehicles at the entrance. People are allowed only on foot beyond this point.
The PWD officials have been wary of people bathing in the water upstream the check dam where the depth could run for about five feet. Although caution sign boards have been placed, youths often ignored them. The department has put up a guard room and posted its staff on a shift system to maintain a vigil. In view of the unruly behaviour and undesirable activities by some elements, the Public Works Department has requested the police to keep tabs especially during weekends and holidays whenever there is a large turnout.
