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Waterbodies will be created, rejuvenated across Tamil Nadu, says Minister

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The Hindu        24.08.2021

Waterbodies will be created, rejuvenated across Tamil Nadu, says Minister

Groynes and seawalls will be built in five districts

The Water Resources Department (WRD) will construct waterbodies and channels to conserve floodwater.

This was one of the key announcements made by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan in the Assembly on Monday. While waterbodies would be created in Vellore, Theni and Dindigul districts, the WRD would build channels in Thoothukudi, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvallur, Tenkasi and Villupuram to save rainwater that went waste.

The WRD would also construct groynes and seawalls in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi districts to check sea erosion and minimise seawater incursion into fishing villages.

Sources in the WRD noted that such structures in the Ennore Estuary and the mouth of the Cooum in Chennai were part of the 16 projects to be implemented. About 200 waterbodies in 23 districts, including Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur, would be taken up for repair, renovation and restoration with the Union government’s financial assistance. The scheme is aimed at desilting the waterbodies and increasing their storage to help improve agricultural productivity and drinking water availability. Similar projects would be executed in the river basins, including those of the Kosasthalaiyar and the Kovalam, with assistance from NABARD, sources said.

Work is in progress to desilt lakes at Cholavaram, Poondi and Chembarambakkam at a cost of ₹20.44 crore and boost their storage to meet the needs of Chennai. There are plans to take up desilting in the Red Hills at an estimated cost of ₹9.90 crore. Clearing silt in these four waterbodies would help to restore the capacity of 1,904 million cubic feet.

Construction of buildings for various circles and divisional offices and for the Institute of Hydrology and Hydraulics at Poondi in Tiruvallur district was one of the announcements made in the Assembly. These buildings would be completed in five years. Besides upgrading the standards of the Irrigation Management Training Institute in Tiruchi, new institutes would be built in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai with funding from the Union government.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 07:04
 

Greater Chennai Corporation plans to dredge Pallikaranai marshland

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The Times of India         30.11.2020

Greater Chennai Corporation plans to dredge Pallikaranai marshland

 

 

An expert on the Pallikaranai marsh, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is like a giant sponge.Chief minister J Jayalalithaa declared the Pallikaranai marsh a protected area in 2005, but now her party’s government has decided to dredge one of the last refuges of migratory birds in the city. The Greater Chennai Corporation believes the move will prevent flooding in the nearby residential areas, but naturalists and water experts are shocked and warn the ecosystem could be damaged.

A Chennai Corporation source said about Rs1,000 crore is the budget for this work, which is expected to be launched on Monday by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami with a visit to the marsh.

An expert on the Pallikaranai marsh, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is like a giant sponge. It will absorb, retain and slowly discharge the water. It acts as a natural drain that carries flood water to the Oggiyam Maduvu and to Buckingham Canal and on to the Bay of Bengal.

Former PWD assistant executive engineer S Thirunavukkarasu said the marsh is in the shape of a bowl. It absorbs flood waters from more than 55 lakes in and around South Chennai and its suburbs. Dredging this marshland eco-system will have a negative impact on its eco-system, he warned.

Conservationist T Murugavel asked whether the dredging proposal was based on any study. Now is the time migratory birds, waders and raptors visit the marsh. Dredging will destroy the nests of the migratory birds, he said.

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Why don't this stupid Duplicate Dravidian parties listen to environmental scientists before taking up a foolish stand. it was 7000 hectares of land shrunk to 700 hectares. Actual reason is something ...Read More
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In 2005, Jayalalithaa declared the marsh a protected area after an aerial survey of flood-hit Velacherry and its surroundings. The declaration was announced on November 12 to coincide with the birthday of the father of Indian ornithology Salim Ali.

Biodiversity researchers have recorded 155 species of birds, 100 species of fish and 141 plant species in the marsh. Originally pread over 7,000 hectares, the marsh has shrunk to 695.85 hectares as a result of encroachments over the years. Conservationists fear dredging could spell the beginning of the end for the marsh that remains.
 

Corporation plans to buy new amphibian equipment

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 The Times of India      10.12.2018 

Corporation plans to buy new amphibian equipment

| TNN | Updated: Dec 10, 2018, 09:46 IST
Corporation workers clean the water hyacinth at Velachery lakeCorporation workers clean the water hyacinth at Velachery lake
CHENNAI: Waterways free of floating plastic bags, devoid of odour and sewage are rare in the city but the Chennai corporation is planning to make it a reality by procuring amphibian equipment to clean smaller water bodies.

Tenders have been flated to buy an amphibian equipment, a mini-amphibian, and three more robotic excavators. As the civic body is going through a fund crunch, the allotment under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) will be used, a source in the civic body said. “By April, we should be able to get them,” said an official.

An amphibian is capable of efficiently removing garbage, silt, and weeds from larger canals and water bodies with a width of 3m and above. Excavators are used for micro canals that are less than 3.5m wide.

A mini-amphibian can work well in smaller water bodies with shallow water level of 1m depth or less. Besides, these machines, the civic body has deployed trash booms to collect garbage and floating plastic at nine locations across the Cooum River.

A year ago, the civic body had procured an amphibian equipment at a cost of Rs 4.43 crore from Finland, and three robotic excavators at Rs 19.65 crore to carry out dredging and hyacinth removal in water bodies. “These machines are deployed for desilting Adyar River and Velachery Lake, which are owned by the PWD. The PWD authorities are also mulling about buying the machines. It would be good if they too procure it as the work would be done faster,” said an official. According to officials, an amphibian is estimated to cost around Rs 7.5 crore, a mini-amphibian and a robotic excavator costs around Rs 1.7 crore and Rs 6.5 crore respectively.

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more and more sophisticated systems to be used to ensure water bodies are protected for next generationSrinivas M

Sources in the department said cleaning of water bodies and canals continues to be a slow process, especially before monsoon, as the existing equipment is deployed in water bodies owned by the Public Works Department (PWD).

The civic body will also be procuring six super sucker machines to remove silt from storm water drains. Now, the civic body relies on workers hired by contractors to manually enter and desilt storm water drains, which in many areas also carry sewage.
 
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