Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that the Parapram regulator-cum-bridge project at Pinarayi Paraprath across the Ancharakandy river would prevent salt water ingress into over 1,200 acres of land in the area.
Mr. Vijayan was speaking after inaugurating the construction of the project through video conferencing. Currently, salt water flooded the agricultural lands in Pinarayi, Vengadu, Ancharakandy, and Peralassery panchayats. Mr. Vijayan said that once the project was completed, the problem would be resolved and it would prove beneficial to the agriculture sector. It would also help in ensuring supply of water to the Kerala Water Authority’s pumping station at Keezhallur, which supplied drinking water to Thalassery and Mahe municipalities, and Dharmadam panchayat. The project would also lead to an increase in the groundwater availability in the area, he said.
The Parapram regulator is being constructed by connecting Pinarayi and Peralassery panchayats in the Dharmadam constituency.
The target is to complete the project in 18 months with an allocation of ₹44.49 crore from Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. The length of the regulator-cum-bridge is 99.6 metres.