‘Revive water bodies to achieve self-sufficiency’

The Tamil Nadu PWD Senior Engineers’ Association on Saturday urged the State government to create a special fund to dredge and deepen the water bodies and rivers so as to achieve self-sufficiency in meeting the water requirement for irrigation and drinking.

Association general secretary told presspersons on the sidelines of irrigation management workshop that there was demand for linking of rivers across the country to make use of surplus water to drought-hit and rain-shadow regions of the country.

If not all rivers, there was a demand for linking peninsular rivers. There could be nothing wrong with the demand.

However, sufficient steps were not taken to protect and improve the water bodies. There was a report that about 260 tmcft. of water had been discharged into the sea for want of infrastructure to store water during rainy season.

In Tamil Nadu, he said, there were 39,202 lakes and tanks and 75 rivers. If they were revived, the State could store about 700 tmcft of water. Hence, the State government should make a serious attempt to rehabilitate all water bodies.

It should create a special fund for the purpose. The possibility Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives should be explored.

Mr. Veerappan said since it required huge amount, the government should approach the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Life Insurance Corporation of India, and nationalised banks to avail short-term loan.

However, the government should not approach World Bank and Asian Development Bank due to exorbitant interest rates, tough conditions, and others, he said. M.P. Durairaj, president, Tiruchi branch of the association, and S. Rajasekaran, joint secretary, spoke.