The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Steps to release water from Periyar dam for irrigation of first crop

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Sunday, Jun 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Steps to release water from Periyar dam for irrigation of first crop

Staff Reporter

Farmers express concern over initial release of only 200 cusecs

THENI: While Public Works Department engineers have made all arrangements to release water from Periyar dam for irrigation of the first crop of the double crop area stretching 14,707 acres in the Cumbum Valley till Veerapandi on June 1, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board engineers have kept one of the four generators ready to generate electricity at the power generating unit at Lower Camp at Gudalur. (The technical team has been working for months to rectify repairs as all the four generators were completely paralysed owing to technical snag.) Initially, 35 MW capacity generator is expected to generate only 16 MW. Work is under way to operate three other generators during heavy discharge from the dam. Moreover, the PWD engineers have plan to release only 200 cusecs of water from the dam, as construction work in head-works of the 18th Channel Project has not been completed.

The work is expected to be completed in the next 10 days. A canal has been dug near the construction spot to allow the dam water to reach Mullaperiyar river for drinking water supply to Gudalur, Cumbum and other towns and wayside villages. The discharge would increase only after completion of construction. This water would suffice to raise nurseries, according to officials.

Upset

But farmers, who had already demanded early release of water from the dam, have expressed their concern over initial release of 200 cusecs. The parched Mullaperiyar riverbed and massive illegal lifting of water from the river using pumps will certainly affect supply of water to tail-end areas. Farmers in tail-end areas will not get water for even raising nurseries. This will certainly delay transplantation in tail-end areas, ultimately affecting crops and hit harvesting process, they said. The PWD engineers plan to release 900 cusecs from Vaigai dam to irrigate over 45,000 acres in Dindigul and Madurai districts. Water is expected to be released from Periyar dam in the morning and from Vagai dam in the evening.

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