Now Reading: WRD clears water hyacinth from Uyyakondan canal in Tiruchi
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WRD clears water hyacinth from Uyyakondan canal in Tiruchi
The Water Resources Department has begun clearing water hyacinth from the Uyyakondan canal in Tiruchi, ahead of the opening of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur for irrigation. The weeds will be removed…
The Water Resources Department has begun clearing water hyacinth from the Uyyakondan canal in Tiruchi, ahead of the opening of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur for irrigation. The weeds will be removed over 14 km at a cost of over Rs 60 lakh, with work starting on the Azhvarthoppu-Alathur stretch on Thursday. Six works are planned across various stretches and are expected to take about two weeks.
District Collector Pratik Tayal inspected the canal after complaints from farmers and activists about pollution and weed growth. The 1,000-year-old canal, built by Raja Raja Chola, has an ayacut of 32,000 acres and feeds 36 tanks, traversing 71 km. Its urban stretch receives sewage discharge at multiple points, and a plan to set up sewage treatment plants along the canal remains unimplemented.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Uyyakondan canal is a key irrigation artery in the Cauvery delta, and its annual pre-release clearing is a routine but essential exercise. The 14-km stretch being tackled now covers only the city portion of the 71-km canal. The untreated sewage inflow into the canal is a long-standing issue: the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had earlier flagged the absence of sewage treatment plants as a violation of water quality standards. The success of the current clearing will be tested once the Mettur reservoir gates open, typically in the second week of September, when irrigation flows resume.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
