A project covering structural development and bush clearance have commenced on 315 acre S. Periyapalayam irrigation tank (popularly called Nanjarayan tank), where hundreds of migratory birds species flock, amid the voices of dissent raised by bird watchers and environmental activists.
The works taken up by Public Works Department (Water Resource Organisation) at an outlay of Rs. 4 crore include construction of a treatment plant having capacity to treat one million litres of water a day to clean the polluted water reaching the tank, a new weir to block the polluted water and divert the same to treatment plant, cleaning of tank after draining out water, repair of existing two sluices and bush clearance around the tank area.
“We are planning to complete the works in six months,” PWD (WRO) Executive Engineer V. Raju told The Hindu . Meanwhile, activists and bird watchers have expressed their concern over the move to clear the naturally grown bushes and also the plan to clean the tank after draining out the water that too at the peak of the season when migratory birds were present in large numbers.
“Both the moves are ridiculous that could easily drive away the birds which once gone will not come back. About 20,000 migratory birds of around 125 species are coming to S. Periyapalayam tank only because of the natural flora and fauna in and around the tank and the tranquillity,” pointed out K. Ravindran, secretary of Nature Society of Tirupur, and a regular bird watcher at the S. Periyapalayam tank.
According to activists, they have been voicing to turn the natural habitat into a bird sanctuary and not to carry out routine development work as in the case done for other irrigation tanks.