At a time when many irrigation tanks in Ramanathapuram district remain dry despite widespread rain, the reported move of the PWD officials to divert about 500 cusecs of water into the sea has come as a rude shock to the farmers who have sought District Collector’s intervention in the issue here on Sunday.
The farmers’ association representatives told reporters that about 2,000 cusecs of water was being released from the Vaigai dam for irrigation purposes in ayacut areas of Ramanathapuram district. A few days ago, continuous rainfall in the region resulted in 4,500 cusecs of water flowing into the district.
The PWD engineers, who were closely monitoring the storage levels in various tanks, said the sluices at Parthibanur were opened after it received 4,500 cusecs of water from Vaigai river, left main canal and right main canal. As the level increased, the officials decided to release 500 cusecs of water into the sea as a precautionary measure.
The sudden gushing of water into many habitations resulted in water logging at a few brick kiln units in Pullangudi. Assistant Executive Engineer (PWD) Jayadurai said that they had been monitoring the water flow closely in the region. There were no breaches in any tank as apprehended by the farmers.
When the levels reached the maximum level, water was diverted to the waterbodies in the region. He also said that the Big Tank, which can take in about 7 feet of water, had a storage of a little over 6 feet only. In anticipation of the north-east monsoon, the officials had decided not to fill the tank to its maximum level.
