Water from Shenbagathoppu dam near Polur in Tiruvannamalai was released following requests from farmers to irrigate 8,350.40 acres of paddy fields in the region.
Water will be released up to May 11 for irrigation. Accompanied by S. Balasubramaniam, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Arani, Collector D. Bhaskara Pandian opened the sluice gates of the dam that is located a few kilometres from the reservoir downstream.
Water will be released into the river and distributed in the left and right bank canals from the pick-up dam. Every day, on average, 105 cuses of water will be released for farming. Cultivators are advised to utilise the water judiciously, as it is required for drinking purposes in the district as well.
The initiative comes after water from Kuppanatham and Sathanur dams was released in March for irrigation of 9432.96 acres and over 45,000 acres of farmland in the district, respectively.
Water from Shenbagathoppu dam, which has a total storage capacity of 287 mcft of water and a height of 62 feet, will benefit farmers in around 200 villages in Polur taluk.
At present, the excess water from the dam is discharged into 48 tanks — Polur (18), Arani (12), Arcot (9), Cheyyar (8), and Vandavasi (1) — through four check dams in the district, including Alliyabhad and Karnakur check dams, thereby recharging the water table in and around these villages. As these villages are located at the foot of the Jawadhu Hills, water from smaller water bodies like ponds, lakes, and streams is crucial to meeting their domestic needs.
Of the four irrigation dams, including Santhanur and Kuppanatham, which are maintained by the Water Resources Department (WRD), Shenbagathope was the latest dam to be built in the district in 2007. Banana, paddy, and groundnut are major crops grown in villages around the dam. After two years of repair work, mainly sluice gate repairs and strengthening of the parapet wall, at a cost of ₹134.46 crore, the dam has been commissioned for water storage.
Among 697 PWD tanks in the district, 24 tanks have full capacity of water; 40 tanks have 75 to 100 %; 80 tanks have 75 to 50 % and 68 tanks are completely dry. With adequate water storage, there is no drought in the district, officials said.
