Under a centrally-sponsored scheme, the Department of Science and Technology in association with the Public Works and Agriculture departments have started work on rejuvenating 20 tanks and 32 village ponds.
The programme mooted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change would pave the way for dredging irrigation tanks at Bahour, Murungapakkam, Embalam, Mannadipet, Katterikuppam, Madagadipet, Mannadipet, Thiruvandarkoil, and Manapet. Similarly, ponds at Mannadipet, Nettapakkam, and Villianur Commune panchayats would be cleaned.
The rejuvenation of tanks and ponds would cost around ₹16.76 crore.The Ministry had sanctioned an amount of ₹3. 94 crore and work had commenced to clean the Kirumampakkam tank.
While the irrigation tanks were dredged by the Public Works Department, the Agriculture Department was entrusted the work to clean ponds, an official with the Department of Science and Technology said.
The project aims at increasing the adaptive capacity of local communities to climate change impacts through diminishing reliance on groundwater resources and restoring surface water bodies.
Tackling shortage
Increasing the storage capacity of the water bodies would help in groundwater recharge, prevention of soil salinity and gully erosion. The project would help farmers tide over to an extent shortage in rainfall.
As part of work, the department organised a workshop on “Integrated Surface Water management through rejuvenation of 20 tanks and 32 village ponds for Climate Change Adaption in Puducherry”.
