Minister for Khadi and Village Industries Board G. Baskaran inspected the work that is under way to remove ‘Seemai Karuvelam’ (prosopis juliflora) trees along the 42-kilometre stretch of the Vaigai running across Manamadurai and Tiruppuvanam, here on Wednesday.
District Collector J. Jayakanthan and Manamadurai MLA S. Nagarajan were also present during the inspection.
Around 20 earthmovers were deployed to remove prosopis juliflora from inside the Vaigai and the banks of the river. The removal of the wild growth of prosopis juliflora is part of the larger project of rejuvenating the Vaigai river.
Speaking during the inspection, the Minister said that the removal of wild growth will augment the storage capacity of the river and therefore help the farmers.
Mr. Baskaran also said that the recent announcement of linking of the Vaigai and Gundar river by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami was in the interests of the farmers. “The CM has allocated funds for the first phase of the project and Sivanganga farmers will benefit the most from this project,” he said.
The three subsurface dykes that were built across the Vaigai in the district have reaped benefits. After the recent rains, the subsurface dykes have helped in recharging the groundwater level for areas in 10-kilometre radius. This has ensured sufficient water for irrigation for farmers and has helped in addressing drinking water issues, the Minister said.
He said that the rejuvenation of irrigation channels of Periyar and Manimuthar is also under way.
