The Hindu : Front Page : System tanks fill up, thanks to good inflow in Cauvery and recent rain

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Friday, Nov 04, 2005

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System tanks fill up, thanks to good inflow in Cauvery and recent rain

S. Ganesan

Water adequate to see farmers through samba season: PWD

TIRUCHI: Over 80 per cent of the 182 system tanks in Tiruchi, Thanjavur and Perambalur districts falling under the jurisdiction of the River Conservation (RC) Division of the Public Works Department, here, have filled up following the continuous good inflow in the Cauvery and the recent rain.

With the tanks, which include small, medium and big ones, having a total ayacut of 16,192 hectares in the three districts, agriculturists dependent on them could be assured of adequate water to see them through this samba season, PWD officials said. Though nearly 75 per cent of the system tanks had filled up last year too, the storage had dwindled quickly on the release of water for irrigation. But, the storage in some of the tanks has been at `full tank level' over the past couple of weeks despite the release of water for irrigation.

No major breaches

There has been no report of any major breaches in the tanks.

In Tiruchi district, a majority of the 75 system tanks fed by the Uyyakondan Canal, New Kattalai High Level Canal (NKHLC), Pullambadi Canal, Peruvalai, Panguni and Nandiyar channels have reached full capacity. The tanks have a total ayacut of about 5,711 ha in the district.

All but three of the 20 tanks fed by the Uyyakondan and Killi Vaical have reached their full capacity. This include the Koothapar, Sevanthakulam and Mangavanam tanks, which are filled to the brim. Nawab Kulam, which was recently desilted at a cost of Rs.15 lakhs with the active participation of the locals, has also reached its full capacity.

Only the Ayyampatti, Vazhavanthankottai and Koothakudi tanks are yet to be filled, but they too are expected to reach their full capacity soon. In the Lalgudi sub-division all 11 tanks have reached their full capacity.

Forty tanks of the 50 under the Pullampadi and New Kattalai High Level Canals, including the Gundur, Sembattu, Poonganur and Manikandam big tanks, are filled to the brim.

The storage position has also improved in the rain-fed tanks in Tiruchi district, falling under the control of the Ariyar Division of the PWD, over the past few days though only 13 of 98 tanks have been filled so far. In the Thuraiyur region, eight rain-fed tanks have been filled, while the storage in 10 others has reached about 75 per cent of their respective capacities. The Manapparai region has not had much rainfall and consequently the inflow into the tanks has been rather meagre.

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