On years when the monsoon is good, floodwater in the Kosasthalaiyar drains into the sea. With a view to making use of this resource, the Water Resources Department (WRD) plans to build a check-dam near Attrambakkam, located a few km downstream of the Poondi reservoir in Tiruvallur district.
The residents of Attrambakkam and neighbouring villages, who have been concerned about the dipping groundwater level over the past few years, are delighted at the proposal. Like many other villages in the district, Attrambakkam too depends on groundwater and the Kosasthalaiyar for drinking and irrigation. This year, villages along the Kosasthalaiyar are staring at a water crisis yet again.
The proposed check-dam, a wall-like structure across the 200-metre wide river at Attrambakkam will save water that is released from the Poondi reservoir during the monsoon.
The 1.5 metre-high structure will help water stagnation in the river for over two km. This is expected to recharge groundwater for months, officials said.
A minimum of 20 villages, including Odapai, Poondi, Attrambakkam, Govindarajakuppam and Krishnapuram will have better groundwater levels even during the harsh summer, an official said.
Welcoming the move, D. Loganathan, a resident of Attrambakkam, said, “A huge volume of surplus water and sand were washed away during the December 2015 floods. Borewells in our area dry up by March. If we had a check-dam, we could have saved a lot of water.”
Residents have cultivated groundnut, brinjals and chillies and are hoping that summer showers will save their crops.
They pointed out that a check dam was recently built at Pattaraiperumbudur, located eight km upstream of the Poondi reservoir.
The river has eight storage structures between Kesavaram anicut and Ennore creek. Officials of the WRD said it was essential to build check-dams at every five-km interval on the river to store water resources.
The ₹7-crore project is waiting for a nod from the State government. Once it is approved, work will be completed within a year, WRD officials said.
