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Tamil Nadu to take up two river linking projects

T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI: The State government will take up two projects to link rivers flowing within the territory of Tamil Nadu during 2008-2009.

The projects, aimed at transferring surplus water to water deficit areas, are the Cauvery-Agniar-Koraiyar-Pambar-Vaigai-Gundar and the Tamiraparani-Karumeniyar-Nambiar interlinking schemes.

Announcing this in the Assembly on Thursday, Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan said the Kattalai barrage would be constructed across the Cauvery at a cost of Rs.165 crore. In the next phase, works for digging a 255-km-long canal, linking all the six rivers, would be executed.

Costing Rs.369 crore, the other scheme involved diversion of surplus water of the Tamiraparani to water-deficit areas in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts. Mr. Anbazhagan said in the absence of consensus on the implementation of the programme, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had sought Central assistance for linking intra-State rivers. The National Development Council, which had accepted his request, had resolved to provide such assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP).

Recharge structures

To rectify overexploitation of groundwater, the government had conceived a major scheme for building 48,500 recharge structures such as check dams and percolation ponds.

It would be executed at an estimated cost of Rs.550 crore in 2008-2009. A sum of Rs.100 crore had been allocated in this year’s budget.

Stating that the World Bank-aided Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Restoration and Management Project (IAMWARM) would be extended to 16 more sub-basins in addition to the existing nine, Mr. Anbazhagan said it would now benefit 9.4 lakh acres. A sum of Rs.585 crore had been allocated for IAMWARM in 2008-2009.

The Grand Anaicut canal and Kalingarayan canal would be desilted at a cost of Rs.150 crore and Rs.12 crore. While the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development approved a Rs.12-crore scheme for flood prevention in Madurai city, permanent protection works against floods in the Cauvery and the Coleroon would be carried out in Karur, Tiruchi, Ariyalur and Perambalur districts at a cost of Rs.211 crore.

Works under the Rs.616-crore Ramanathapuram combined water supply scheme were being executed on a fast track mode.

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