Kurangan Odai that helps irrigate 8,000 acres of farm lands and recharge groundwater in villages will soon be desilted for a length of 35 km.
Olirum Erodu Foundation, Agila Bharathiya Sanyasikal Sangam and Uzhavan Nala Sangam will jointly execute the works from its originating point at Devanampalayam in Anumanpalli to Vengambur in Kodumudi where the canal confluences with River Cauvery.
A consultative meeting was organised here on Thursday in which the office-bearers of the organisations discussed steps to carry out the works. They said the canal helped recharge groundwater in the unions of Modakkurichi and Kodumudi thereby solving their drinking water needs. Fifteen check dams were constructed across the canal, they added. “To protect the canal and carry out development works, canal rehabilitation awareness walkathon has been organised on May 8 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” they added.
The members said they would start their march from Devanampalayam and reach Vengambur.
Foundation secretary S. Ganesan, its Water Management Committee president C. D. Shanmugasundaram, Sri Sadananda Swamigal and Senthil Balasubramaniayam, from the Sangam, A. Gandhi, president of Uzhavan Nala Sangam and others spoke.
The Foundation, in the last seven years, had desilted and restored 47 water bodies and had created nine new ponds under the “Orrukku Oru Kulam”, scheme. Also, three new check dams were constructed. The Foundation had desilted Perumpallam canal for 16 km, renovated Theppakulam at Kottai Eswaran Kovil and also desilted Kalingarayan canal for 20 km from Konavaikal to Pasur. “All these works resulted in an increase in water storage from 54.26 crore litres to 262.29 crore litres,” the members said.
