# Chengalpattu waterbody desilting work begins under rural scheme 2026-08-17T11:40:47+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Rural Development and Water Resources Minister N. Anand inaugurated work to widen the inlet channel of Puthur lake at Nedunkundram village panchayat in Chengalpattu district on Monday. The project is being carried out under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission, a rural employment and livelihood scheme. A press release stated that steps are being taken to desilt and restore nearly 10,185 watercourses and irrigation canals and 809 lakes and ponds in rural areas at a cost of Rs 500 crore before the onset of the Northeast monsoon. In Chengalpattu district, works have been sanctioned for 52 new ponds at Rs 3.19 crore and 447 watercourses at Rs 20.12 crore. Officials said desilting will improve surface and groundwater levels and help prevent flooding of farmlands and residential areas during extreme weather. Minister for Human Resources Management D. Sarathkumar, elected representatives, and senior district officials were present at the inauguration. ## Coverage - thehindu.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Chengalpattu, N. Anand, Puthur lake Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/chengalpattu-waterbody-desilting-work-begins-under-rural-scheme/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/chengalpattu-waterbody-desilting-work-begins-under-rural-scheme/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/