Pennaiyar-Cheyyar interlinking plan awaits TN govt nod; project to irrigate over 9K acres in Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram

CHENNAI: The State government is planning to interlink the Pennaiyar and Cheyyar rivers to enhance irrigation facilities for the Nandan canal and boost agricultural activities around 9,000 acres in the Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai districts.

The State Water Resources Department (WRD) has submitted a detailed project report for phase I of the scheme, estimated at Rs 390 crore. The plan includes excavating a new canal extending 12.45 km, along with a feeder canal of 16.55 km from the foreshore of the Sathanur Reservoir to the Keeranur Dam, through the Samuthiram lake and the Olaiyar.

The project is designed to benefit an ayacut of 2,609 acres under 22 tanks in Tiruvannamalai district, and 6,653 acres under 36 tanks of the Nandan canal system in both Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai districts. “The scheme was proposed in 2021, but it did not take off for want of funds and was put on hold. The Chief Minister’s (M K Stalin) announcement during a government programme in Villupuram earlier this year revived the scheme. Following that, we submitted a revised project report in the month of February this year,” said a Water Resources Department (WRD) official.

The department prepared the detailed project report after analysing 35 years of flood and rainfall data in the Sathanur Reservoir catchment area. As it stands, the project is designed to divert 0.475 tmc of surplus water—of the total 0.76 tmc available—to Samuthiram Lake by gravity, from where it would flow to Keeranur Dam via Oolaiyar and Thirunalaru, the official added.

The department must acquire 345 acres of land, comprising 276 acres of patta land, 35 acres of poramboke land, and 34 acres of forest land, to implement the project. “We are hopeful that the government will soon grant approval for land acquisition, followed by administrative sanction, as the project is set to benefit 67 villages across Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts,” the official said

The second phase of the project proposes to connect the Nandan canal from the left sluice gate of Keeranur Dam. However, 5.8 tmc of surplus water would be required to augment the 36 tanks. “The dependability is only 35%, but we are preparing the second phase to divert water to the Nandan canal to take advantage of heavy rainfall or cloudbursts in the region. Additionally, the Pennaiyar experiences heavy inflows once every three to five years. In such instances, the second phase will prove useful for diverting surplus water and mitigating flooding in the Pennaiyar,” the official added.