Discharge of excess water from Kazhinjur tank inundates areas in Katpadi

Officials say that a proposal has been sent to the State government to widen the water channel by 1.5 km at a cost of ₹15 crore.

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Discharge of excess water from Kazhinjur irrigation tank inundated residential areas in Katpadi here on Saturday.

After water was released from the tank, areas such as Mathi Nagar, Bharathi Nagar and V.G. Rao Nagar were flooded. Residents had to wade through knee-deep water and vehicles parked on the roadside were partially submerged.

“After the 2021 floods, it is this monsoon that left many areas in Katpadi inundated, especially the release of water from the lake (Kazhinjur). Emergency services were disrupted,” said B. Prakash, a resident.

Water Resources Department (WRD) officials said that Kazhinjur and Dharapadavedu — covering over 100 acres — were referred to as the twin tanks. Each lake, on an average, could store 20 mcft of water. Over 15,000 residents in at least eight villages depend on these lakes for consumption. The lakes were among the 24 tanks maintained by the WRD in Katpadi.

Civic officials of the Vellore Corporation said the water channel that discharges excess water from the twin lakes to Palar river was built decades ago. At present, the channel is only 8-10 metres wide as against the requirement of 15-20 metres. At present, excess water from the twin tanks passes through residential areas, covering 12 km, before reaching Palar river at Ammudi village.

The officials said that over the years, areas around the tank became increasingly inhabited with several houses being built on a portion of the channel.after constructing concrete slabs on it As of now, the Corporation has widened only around 700 metres of the channel to 15 metres.

Civic officials added that more than 30 culverts along the channel were small in size. Most of them were clogged due to the dumping of garbage. This coupled with the heavy downpour that led to the release of water from the tanks resulted in the inundation.

“Open trenches have been created to discharge floodwater. Steps will be taken to unclog water channels and culverts in the region,” P. Janaki Raveendran, Commissioner, Vellore Corporation, told The Hindu.

Officials said a proposal had been sent to the State government to widen the water channel by 1.5 km at a cost of ₹15 crore. Once sanctioned, the work would be taken up by early 2025.