WRD to restore 100 waterbodies in TN; Centre to tag them ‘encroachment-free'
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Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (WRD) will restore 100 water bodies, 11 in the Chennai region and 89 in the Madurai region, with 111 crore funding under the Union govt's Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
The project will be completed with the union govt issuing "encroachment-free" tags for the water bodies.
The state govt applied for funds under the scheme in 2023, and they received the funds only now. The WRD has given administrative and financial sanction to execute the project. According to a govt order, the union govt will provide 60% of the funding, while the state will bear the remaining 40%.
S Kala, WRD chief engineer of the design, support and construction department, said each tank will receive around 1.5 crore for desilting, bund strengthening, creating bird islands, and plugging sewage.
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"The 11 tanks in the city are in the suburbs like Tambaram, Thalambur, and upstream areas like Chengalpet and Thiruvallur," she said, adding that the project will begin by the end of this year and will be completed by December 2026.
The WRD has begun joint surveys with the revenue department to demarcate the boundaries and issue eviction notices within 14 days. Most tanks range from 50 hectares to a maximum size of 165 hectares.
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The Madurai region covers about four districts, including Kallakuruchi, Madurai, Sivagangai, and Ramanathapuram.
Tanks in Kallakuruchi proposed for restoration are in Thyagadurgam, Kallakuruchi, and Thirunavalur, while in Sivagangai, tanks in Kallal, Sakkotai, and Devakottai will be restored. In Madurai, core area tanks will be focused on, while in Ramanathapuram, tanks in RS Mangalam, Nainorkovil, Thiruvadanai, and Mudakaluthur will be restored.
Officials said they identified all the localised flooding hotspots during the last five years' rain and narrowed it down to these water bodies. Kala said once the encroachments are removed, they will apply for the "encroachment-free" tag. "Officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti will inspect the tanks and give the certificate," she added.
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