Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday witnessed the completion of desilting work in the tail-end areas of Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai, which are expected to receive inflows of water released from the Mettur dam in the coming days.
The Chief Minister carried out inspections of waterbodies and irrigation canals at Kattur in Nagapattinam district and Thirukadaiyur in Mayiladuthurai district, a week after water was released from the dam on May 24, ahead of the customary date of June 12. The government had made a special allocation of ₹80 crore for desilting work in irrigation canals in the delta districts, spanning 4,964 km.
The Chief Minister was informed by officials that the early release of water from the Mettur dam would pave the way for raising paddy crop on 5.2 lakh acres during the Kuruvai season and 13.5 lakh acres during the Samba season, supported by the northeast monsoon. Kuruvai crop could be harvested in time before the onset of the northeast monsoon, officials said.
At Ananthamangalam village in Sembanarkovil taluk, Mr. Stalin inspected the sowing of paddy with a drum seeder machine that delivers the advantage of a harvest 10 to 15 days earlier than usual. The other advantages of this method included a smaller requirement of seeds and lower expenditure, Mayiladuthurai Collector R. Lalitha said while briefing the Chief Minister.
Mr. Stalin also inspected a rice transplanting machine at Nalladai.
Later, he inspected the special desilting work at Kothankudi and Peralam in Tiruvarur district.
While the entire 5-km length of the Kothankudi channel, branching from the Vanjiyar and joining the Kaduvankudi channel, has been desilted at a total cost of ₹3.15 lakh, the 4-km Peralam channel, which also branches from the Vanjiyar and joins the Veeranatham channel, has been desilted at a total cost of ₹3.75 lakh.
The desilting of the Kothankudi channel would benefit 232 acres of cultivable land in Kothankudi and Kaduvankudi. The clearing of weeds and other obstructions in the Peralam channel would benefit farmers taking up cultivation on 177 acres in Peralam and Veeranatham, official sources said.
