The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Encroachments on waterbodies: law soon

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Saturday, Mar 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Encroachments on waterbodies: law soon

Staff Reporter

Proposal to be presented in Assembly

CHENNAI : A law to prevent encroachments on waterbodies and protect the available resources in the State will be enacted soon, Public Works Department and Law Minister Durai Murugan said here on Thursday.

Participating in a meeting organised by the PWD to commemorate World Water Day, he said the issues relating to enactment of the law would be deliberated upon and proposal presented in the current Assembly session.

He said the Rs.2,547-crore World Bank-aided Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Bodies Restoration and Management project would be launched in April. It aimed to enhance the irrigation system and increase the crop yield in about six years. About Rs.1,340 crore has been allotted to the PWD for improving water bodies, repairing canals and building infrastructure.

The Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Departments would also chip in with funds for the programme that would benefit the farming community, Mr. Murugan said.

He hailed the Anna University's decision to introduce an agricultural and irrigation engineering course from the ensuing academic year.

Minister for Agriculture Veerapandi S. Arumugam stressed the need to include waterbodies in Cauvery delta districts under the World Bank-aided project. He also highlighted the significance of drip irrigation system.

PWD secretary S. Rajarethinam said better water management was imperative as the State did not have a perennial water resource. PWD Advisor (schemes) M. Deenadayalan spoke about the PWD officials' recent visit to Australia to inspect the irrigation system. Despite less rainfall, there was more crop yield in Australia because of water management practices.

He urged farmers to implement water conserving irrigation methods. Water scarcity must be tackled in terms of both quantity and quality, he added.

Chairman of the Cauvery Technical Cell A. Mohanakrishnan said the World Water Day celebrations provided an opportunity to contemplate various issues concerning water management.

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