Farmers Urge Centre to Release Funds to Repair 37 Dams In Tamil Nadu

Farmers have requested the Union government to release funds for projects to repair dams in Tamil Nadu since work on these projects appears to have met a snag.

According to the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement-2 (DRIP-2) scheme, 37 dams, including Mettur, Bhavanisagar, and Krishnagiri, would receive repairs and reinforcement at an estimated cost of Rs 610.26 crore in 2020, according to the Water Resources Department (WRD). But due to a lack of funding, the majority of this work is still unfinished.

K Balasubramani, general secretary of Vivasayigal Munnetra Kazhagam, said although officials frequently audit dams, this work is not finished and dams need to be strengthened, repaired, and reinforced to maintain the flow of water.

For instance, he claimed that due to inadequate infrastructure, farmers in the southern regions of the State and at the end of the Cauvery Belt have difficulty getting water, which has led to the desertification of their land.

The farmer further emphasised how the current administration abandoned a check dam project that the former administration had promised to build between Vangal and Nerur for irrigation purposes. He claimed that despite numerous petitions being addressed to the State administration, nothing was done.

S Gunasekaran, a different farmer from Tiruvallur, asserted that adequate dam upkeep will guarantee drinking water, irrigation, flood control, hydropower, and groundwater recharge. He said that there are several bushes in the city's drinking water reservoirs that hinder water flow and added that the administration has to prioritise concerns relating to dam safety and allocate funding sooner.

Of the 37 dams slated for repair and strengthening, a senior WRD official informed The New Indian Express that work is already underway at the Sathanur dam and that 11 dams, including Mettur and Krishnagiri, had undergone inspection.

"Dam safety inspectors from the Central government rarely travel to the State to check on dams. As a result, the creation of a thorough project report has been postponed. The State administration must press the Centre to grant funding and hasten the process "the representative remarked.