A dyke constructed across the Palar riverbed at Devanur near Chengalpattu in the district has brought good news to people in the region.
The river, which passes through Kancheepuram district for more than 60 kilometres, remained barren for the past five decades as several barrages and check-dams have been constructed across this river in Karnataka, where it originates, and in Andhra Pradesh, through which it flows before entering Tamil Nadu in Vellore.
The nine-metre high dyke at Devanur, completed at a cost of Rs.16.83 crore by Water Resource Department a few months back has retained plenty of water, officials said. Devanur residents, who till now have been exposed only to the barren riverbed, are delighted at the sight of the vast spread of water touching both the banks.
Kanchi Amudhan of Palar Paathukappu Koottiyakkam (Federation for Protection of Palar River) said that considering the immense benefits such dykes bring, the State government should construct similar structures across the river in other spots too.
Though last weekend’s heavy downpour caused a lot of hardship to residents in Kancheepuram district, the Cheyyar and Vegavathi rivers, which merge with Palar at Palayaseevaram (Thirumukkoodal), received substantial inflows.
Activist P. Viswanathan said that if check-dams were constructed on the course of Palar, downstream of Palayaseevaram, precious water can be stored, instead of its draining into Bay of Bengal. Wells dug up along the Palar river at Palayaseevaram and its surrounding areas are the main source for drinking water to southern suburbs under combined water supply schemes.
(Additional reporting by T. Madhavan)
The 9-metre high dyke was completed at a cost of Rs.16.83 crore by Water Resource Department a few months ago
