The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Repair work in progress at Kandaleru-Poondi canal

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Friday, Jun 01, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Repair work in progress at Kandaleru-Poondi canal

K. Lakshmi

Sri Satya Sai Trust to desilt lakes at Porur and Madhavaram

CHENNAI : A major component of the work to upgrade the Kandaleru-Poondi canal stretch of 25 km from the inter-State border at Uthukottai is expected to be completed in two months, according to the Public Works Department (PWD).

The repair work, initiated by the Sri Satya Sai Trust on May 14, involving provision of concrete lining, is in progress simultaneously at the damaged stretches along the 25-km canal. Other works include removal of silt deposited in the canal.

The work may, however, be stopped temporarily after July to enable the release of water from Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh as per the agreement between the two States. The work would then resume by January-end, the official said.

He recalled that no major repair work had been carried out on the canal since its construction in 1993.

The trust had also given its consent to repair the 1,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) capacity feeder canal that carried water from Poondi to the Red Hills reservoir. The work would cover a stretch of 21 km of the canal, he added.

About 400 cusecs of water from the Poondi reservoir is being released daily since May 21 to facilitate the city's water distribution. A Chennai Metrowater official said the water discharge would necessitate the work on the feeder canal to be taken up later.

The completion of repair work in Kandaleru-Poondi canal would arrest the seepage and augment the water realisation by 10 per cent to the city, the official said.

Another PWD official said the Sri Satya Sai Trust has also agreed to carry out improvement works such as desilting of lakes at Porur and Madhavaram soon.

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