Six lakh farmers have benefited from kudimaramathu scheme, said Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration K. Satyagopal in Needamangalam on Saturday.
Talking to reporters during an inspection tour of works carried out in Tiruvarur district under kudimaramathu and Special Desilting Scheme, he said about 7.28 crore cubic metres of alluvial soil had been distributed free of cost to the farmers since the launch of the kudimaramathu scheme in April 2017. The soil was used to level and enrich the fields.
Stating that the kudimaramathu scheme was an important component of Water Mission, Mr. Satyagopal said a special drive would be launched soon to convert defunct borewells in urban and rural areas, including the filter points in agricultural fields, as a groundwater table recharging system. Defunct open wells would also be converted as recharging structures, he added.
Commending the efforts made by the district administration to improve the groundwater table by setting up sub-surface dykes at a few places across the rivers, he said the Public Works Department had initiated a study on viability of creating sub-surface dykes in concrete in various rivers in the State.
Mr. Satyagopal inspected three works taken up under kudimaramathu at Koraiyar regulator at Needamangalam, desilting of Vaiyakalathur channel, construction of head sluice of Mangudi canal at Viswanathapuram, construction of protection wall at Paravakkottai and reconstruction of Vaniyamkattalai North and South regulators at Vaduvur. In the afternoon, Food Minister R. Kamaraj joined the team and inspected the regulator in Pamaniyaru at Mannargudi.
Thanjavur
Mr. Satyagopal also inspected various works taken up under kudimaramathu and Special Desilting Scheme in Thanjavur block on Friday. He inspected desilting and masonry works taken up at Puthur, Veeramangudi, Thevankudi and Pattukudi in Papanasam taluk and Surakkudi in Thanjavur taluk.
He told reporters that the works were being executed in a such a manner that the water flow in the rivers and canals was not disturbed. Further, by depositing the alluvial soil scooped out from the lakes and other waterbodies in the ayacuts, usage of fertilizers could be brought down considerably.
