Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Breach in canal at Kurichi

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JUNE 15. A breach on a 50-ft stretch along a canal that connects the Noyyal with the Kurichi tank has denied substantial inflow into the tank that was taken up recently for desilting by Project Siruthuli.

At a time when copious inflow to the tank is expected, especially in the wake of heavy rain, the breach has deprived it of precious water that would have helped in recharging groundwater in Kurichi. As a result of the breach, there is backflow into the Noyyal.

It is alleged that a section of the people who had encroached waterways in Kurichi had resorted to mining of coarse sand that could be used for construction purposes. This is stated to have created a sort of a tunnel below the canal and caused the breach in the wake of heavy flow from the Noyyal.

With this incident, the worst fears of Project Siruthuli have come true. It has been cautioning the authorities concerned on the neglect of waterways that bring water to the tanks. It has also pointed out that mere desilting of tanks will not suffice if the waterways are not rid of encroachments. If not from the tanks, the encroachments should be removed at least from the canals, it says. Besides, efforts should also be initiated to ensure that no canal is encroached henceforth.

As for the breach in the canal, major work is necessary to restore the bund and facilitate total flow of water into the Kurichi tank.

Whatever rainwater can be got from the present monsoon will play a vital role in recharging groundwater in the Kurichi area that is reeling under water crisis. Till five years ago, the tank was described as one that could never turn dry while the rest did during summer.

Sources in Siruthuli say the breach has reduced the chances of the Kurichi tank filling up soon. However, there is optimism that major gains will be made this monsoon with all the desilted tanks filling up. Torrential rain in the Western Ghats will ensure that this will happen, they say.

Now, the major concern is that when the monsoon has turned benevolent after a long time, efforts are not up to the desired extent to make optimum utilisation of the gains. The major factor that threatens to defeat the work done so far is encroachment on key waterways.

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