Kasaragod to get project to slowdown rainwater run-off

It aims at construction of pits and ponds along riverbanks and diversion of water for storage

A water conservation project to slowdown rain water run-off and enhance water storage will be implemented as a measure to overcome drought situation being experienced in parts of the district.

The project was being implemented under the initiative of District Collector D. Sajith Babu in collaboration with various departments. A core committee meeting to discuss the project was chaired by the Collector on Saturday.

An official press release said here on Saturday that though the district had many rivers, it faced drought situation even as summer was just starting. As of now, rainwater run-off was high, as water flowing over the land surface reached rivers quickly to be emptied into the sea, it said.

First phase

The project envisaged construction of pits and ponds along river banks and diversion of water for storage there. Its first phase would be implemented in five rivers in the northern parts of the district that faced acute drought situation, the release added.

Manjeswaram area, having a large extend of laterite surface, experienced severe water scarcity in summer due to its distinct geographical features, the release said. Hence, Manjeswaram would be among the areas where the project would be implemented in the first phase, the other regions being Uppala, Shiriya, Kumbala and Mogral rivers.

Dykes would be dug along the rivers flowing through the area to take water from these rivers to be stored in ponds, big pits, and other water storage facilities. This would accelerate groundwater recharge. As the rivers flowing through the area had a 10-to-15 degree slope, it would be easy to divert river waters through the dykes that would be dug on either side of the river at every one-km of its stretch, the release said.

Measures were under way to complete the project before June. Also, a meeting of presidents of local bodies in the area would be convened on April 11 to discuss the follow-up actions. The Soil Conservation Department was entrusted to do survey works for the project, the release further said.

Kasaragod Development Package Special Officer E.P. Rajamohan, District Soil Conservation Officer V.M. Ashok Kumar, Padannakkad Agriculture College Professor T.K. Brigit, and Assistant Professors P. Gayathri Karthikeyan and P.K. Sajeesh, attended the meeting.