The district administration has identified 59 encroachments, mostly houses, on waterbodies, especially lakes near the temple town. These structures will be demolished before the onset of the northeast monsoon, officials said.
The initiative is part of the monsoon preparedness of the district administration to prevent inundation of the town. Last year, Tiruvannamalai town was flooded and cut off from key arterial stretches like Outer Ring Road, Allurpettai Main Road, Chittoor - Tindivanam High Road for many weeks due to the overflowing of Vengaikaal tank on the outskirts of the town.
“We have served notices to the encroachers around the lakes. Illegal structures will be demolished in the coming weeks after relocating the displaced families to alternative accommodation,” R. Vetrivel, Revenue Division Officer (RDO), Tiruvannamalai, told The Hindu.
Nochimalai and Keelnatchipattu tanks, maintained by the PWD, are among the major waterbodies that are located near the town. The flow of excess rainwater from Jawadhu Hills fills many streams and lakes along the Palar and Thenpennar rivers. These lakes, spread across 25 acres each, are among them. The surplus flow from these lakes get drained to Vengaikaal lake, which is the main water source for Tiruvannamalai town, through a series of water channels. However, over the years, encroachments have blocked free flow of rainwater to water channels and the water gets diverted to residential areas in the town. Officials said that around 10 acres of these lakes have been encroached. At present, desilting of water channels for a distance of around six km along these waterbodies is being taken up jointly by the WRD (Water Resources Department) and Rural Development (RD) department. The desilting work is expected to be completed by this month-end.
At the review meeting on northeast monsoon, Collector B. Murugesh, said that four special teams have been set up to monitor search and rescue operations, issue warning to those living in low-lying areas and carry out rehabilitation measures. Special officers have been appointed for each of the 12 taluks in the district as part of monsoon preparedness measures.
Currently, of the 697 tanks under the maintenance of the PWD in the district, 96 tanks have reached their full capacity. Taking selfies, playing, bathing and crossing these lakes have been banned. Helplines — 1077; 04175-232377; 04175-1077 — have been set up for residents living in low lying areas to help them move to temporary homes established by the government.
