Residents and environmental activists formed a human chain demanding construction of a check dam at the confluence point of Palar and Ponnaiyar rivers near Thengal on Sunday.
People came together to form the human chain to draw the attention of the State government towards their demand. They formed the human chain starting from the service lane at Melvisharam to Thengal bridge, according to S.N.C. Marthandam, organiser of Palar Protection Awareness Movement, that had organised the initiative.
“A check dam for at least four- to five-foot tall should be built at the confluence point of Palar and Ponnaiyar rivers near Thengal. This will help in storing rainwater, thereby recharging groundwater,” he said.
He said there was no check dam across the Palar, which runs for 222 km in Tamil Nadu while Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka had constructed a number of check dams across the river in their jurisdiction.
“There are a number of wells, at least 15 of them, in the Palar riverbed that are a source of drinking water for 15 to 20 villages and even parts of Vellore city. However, water level has dipped in these wells and people are managing with water supplied from the combined water supply scheme,” he added.
Even agriculture had taken a beating in these areas because of lack of water. The government farm at Navlock has been hit because of paucity of water, he said and added that floods of 2015 had flowed into the sea as there were no check dams to store the water.
A month ago, people from nearby areas including Thengal, SIPCOT, Keezhminnal, BHEL, Melvisharam, Keezhvisharam and Narasingapuram submitted a petition to the Collector seeking construction of a check dam near Thengal. “The Collector forwarded the petition to the Public Works Department. They replied saying they will consider our demand,” he added.
Mr. Marthandam said that constructing a check dam would help recharge water in these wells, and improve the groundwater in the surrounding areas. “When it rains, water can be stored in the check dam here and will not go for waste. If the government does not consider our demand, we will conduct a series of protests,” he said.
