The local community should play a key role in checking encroachments in the water bodies to ensure its original storage, said Rohini R. Bhajibhakare, District Collector.
Launching the “Mission 100 Eri” (Mission 100 lakes) scheme to clean 100 select lakes in the district by the district administration, near Vazhakuttai lake, in Ilaguvampatti village on Saturday, the Collector said that villagers should not give room for any sort of encroachment of cleaned water bodies. This will help ensure adequate water in these lakes.
The scheme was a gift to the people of the district on the Tamil New Year Day.
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She said that it was the duty of the local community to protect and properly maintain the water bodies.
The Collector said that many NGOs have come forward to maintain the water bodies renovated under the “Mission 100 lakes” scheme.
She said that the kudimaramathu scheme of allowing farmers to lift silt from water bodies launched by the State Government last year had proved to be a big hit. The cleaning of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur for the first time in its history was also widely hailed.
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The State Government was bent on protecting and properly maintaining water bodies and supply channels to conserve each and every drop of available water.
The completion of the “Mission 100 lakes” scheme will increase the water holding area during the coming south-west monsoon period. Priority will be given to those lakes which will directly benefit the community in the selection of the water bodies under this scheme.
She said that despite reeling under severe drought conditions, Tamil Nadu bagged the Union Government’s Krishi Karman award for record performance in the production of food grains. This was mainly possible due to the hard efforts put in by the farmers.
V. Panneer Selvam, MP; G. Venkatachalam and P. Manonmani, both MLAs; P. Kumareswaran, Revenue Divisional Officer, offered felicitations.