The Hindu               23.08.2013 

Rs.97-lakh project to harvest rainwater

Rainwater harvesting is the answer to the drought situation faced by Vellore district. Silted and encroached rivers, tanks, supply channels, lakes and ponds constitute the biggest hurdle to natural rainwater harvesting.

Under these circumstances, the Sholinghur town panchayat has undertaken the task of improving the sprawling 25,600-square metre Appankarakulam tank at a cost of Rs. 97 lakh and developing it as a major rainwater harvesting structure and recreation centre for the public, children and walkers. This will be executed using Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for the year 2012-13.

A visit of presspersons to the tank, arranged by the Vellore Collector on Thursday revealed that the tank has been desilted, a baby pond formed at the centre of the tank to retain some water during drought, and earthen bunds formed on the sides of the tank with silt obtained form desilting. Other works such as deepening of the tank, construction of granite retaining walls in the inside of the tank, laying of granite beds on the retaining walls, and cementing the surface, construction of concrete retaining walls on the south-eastern portion of the tank, and construction of cement concrete slab culvert for the outlet channel have been completed.

The town panchayat is yet to begin the work of constructing concrete pillars and erecting barbed wire fencing around the tank, which has been wrongly mentioned as a completed work in the board giving details of the project, displayed at the entrance to the tank.

Works to be undertaken under the self-sufficiency scheme for 2013-14 include grass surfacing of outer bunds and planting of tree saplings at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh and formation of a children’s park on the eastern side of the tank (Rs. 12 lakh). Additional works to be taken up include formation of a walking pathway around the tank by laying ornamental cement concrete stones on the bunds (Rs. 20 lakh), digging deep borewell, formation of artificial fountain and construction of security room (Rs.10 lakh) and erection of ornamental solar lamps around the tank (Rs. 5 lakh).

The Collector said that the main objective of the project is to increase groundwater table in the area around the tank by storing rainwater and protecting water bodies. Other objectives include the formation of walking pathway, children’s park and recreation centre. Four tanks in Vellore district, including the Appankarakulam tank, are to be upgraded at a total cost of Rs. 2.2 crore. The other three tanks to be upgraded are the Thirukkulam tank in Sholinghur (Rs. 30 lakh), Nallathanneer Kulam in Thimiri town panchayat (Rs. 43 lakh) and Perumal Kulam in Kalavai town panchayat (Rs. 50 lakh). The work on Perumal Kulam has been completed.