Farmers want check dams in Uyyakondan

Farmers, who met Collector KS Palanisamy on Monday, said water from Uyyakondan canal has been utilised in these regions to cultivate paddy, banana and cotton. Since irrigating through the Boothavilungi, Pandara canal and Pulivalam sub-canal has become difficult due to low water level of Uyyakondan, these areas become dry affecting the farmers. 

So they appealed the Collector to construct a check dams across the Uyyakondan which, they said, would be an ideal solution for helping the farmers. They also demanded to desilt the waterbodies and the sub-canals of Uyyakondan. 

The 43-mile Uyyakondan canal is over 1000 years old, which originates from the Cauvery near Pettavaithalai and merges with Valavanthankottai lake. It once was a perennial canal and used to be a drinking water source for both farmers and cattle apart from being used for irrigation purposes. In order to protect the canal from the sewage water and garbage dumping, a committee named Uyyakondan Protection Committee was established by social activists. 

“We have been receiving feedbacks from large number of farmers and social activists at large level to give new face-lift for this canal. So, we have already sent a proposal to construct retaining walls and we got green signal from the officials concerned too,” a top PWD official said, seeking anonymity.