'Kudimaramathu' of water resources gets under way.

Renovation of 58 irrigation tanks and canals would be taken up in Tiruchi district under the State government's initiative to revive the system of 'kudimaramathu' to rehabilitate water resources.

Public Works Department officials said 58 works had been identified under the first phase of the initiative and indicated that more works would be taken up in future.

While 24 of these waterbodies are under the Ariyar division, the remaining ones are under the control and maintenance of River Conservation Division of the PWD. The State government has allotted ₹4.3 crore for the initiative in the district.

‘Kudimaramathu’ is the traditional practice of stakeholders taking part in maintenance and management of irrigation systems.

The government initiative aims at reviving this practice by involving members of registered ayacut of the respective waterbodies.

The Paganur tank, Suriyur Big Tank, Ootathur, Veeramachanpatti, Serkudi and Soorampatti tanks are among the tanks that are to be renovated under the initiative in the Ariyar division. The Peruvalai canal, Nandiyar Main Canal, the Kudamuritti drainage canal and the Madhanam tanks are among the water courses in the River Conservation Division that are to be renovated in the district.

On Monday, Vellamandi N. Natarajan, Minister for Tourism, and S. Valarmathi, Minister for Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare, inaugurated the exercise at the Paganur tank in the presence of T. Rathinavel, MP, K.S. Palanisamy, Collector, and M.Palanikumar, Chief Engineer, PWD, WRO, Tiruchi.

The Paganur tank in Srirangam taluk has a capacity to hold 20.02 million cubic feet with a registered ayacut of 60.23 hectares.

It has five sluices but three of them are in a damaged condition and so is one of the two weirs. The supply channel and the surplus courses have been heavily silted up, affecting free flow of water.

At times of floods, there is water stagnation.

Farmers in the area have been frequently representing the issue and have been seeking the repair of the sluices and weir and the removal of silt, PWD officials said. The rehabilitation work taken up t an estimate of ₹9.90 lakh would help stabilise cultivation in the ayacut area and also help meet drinking water requirements, the officials said.

PWD sources indicated that the all the works taken up in the district are expected to be completed in the next few weeks.

R. Thangaraj, Executive Engineer, K.Madhavan, Ariya Murugesan and R.Dhayala Kumar, Assistant Executive Engineers, Ariyar Division, PWD, were present.

THE HINDU