NAGAPATTINAM: The District Rural Development Agency has taken up a novel programme of reviving old and defunct borewells into a full-fledged rainwater harvesting structure for ensuring drinking water and irrigational needs of the villagers in the vicinity.
A total of 41 old borewells were identified as defunct as they had gone dry due to continued drought-prone conditions and poor realisation of northeast monsoon. The District Rural Development Agency identified these defunct wells and started converting them into rainwater harvesting structures, said S. Palanisamy, Collector.
He said that each borewell was being revived at an expenditure of about Rs.20,000. A platform is set up all around the defunct well and earth is spread around it, so that every trickle of water is immediately percolated down into the well. Further, channels had also been set up leading to the borewell so that all the storm water is collected and drained towards the bore well.
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R. Shankar, Project Director, DRDA, said that a majority of the defunct borewells were identified in Kollidam and Nagapattinam blocks. These borewells were set up about a decade ago and had gone out-of-use and remained neglected. The restoration process would go a long way in retaining the watertable, he said.
All the works on 41 borewells had been completed. The benefits would be realised instantly during the monsoon, he added.
The DRDA had also completed work on dredging the Public Works Department (PWD) channels for ensuring assured irrigational supply to the fields. The work was taken up at major places across the district.
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