Rs 8.79 crore to be spent for drinking water in Theni

Madurai: As many as 226 works to provide drinking water will be carried out in Theni district this financial year at a cost of Rs 8.79 crore, said Theni district collector Pallavi M Baldev.

Speaking at the Jal Sakthi Abhiyan meeting held in Theni on Monday, she said that workers in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme, would be carrying out many works for water development and harvesting in the district.

As many as 320 farm ponds and 567 check dams will be constructed in various parts of the district to conserve water and enhance the ground water level near drinking water sources.

She said that 65,069 saplings had been planted and over 13 small ponds were dug in the district. Seventy-eight tanks have been desilted by the PWD and 90 tanks belonging to the village panchayats have also been desilted and rejuvenated. Supply channels to the tanks have also been cleared and kept ready.

The Jal Sakthi Abhiyan scheme had identified 254 most water stressed districts in the country. Tamil Nadu had 27 of them, including 165 panchayat unions, 5,135 village panchayats. This was further divided into water starved revenue blocks, (firkhas) - 297 in rural areas and 244 in the urban areas. This scheme also aims at providing drinking water connections to all houses by 2024.

In Theni district, the revenue blocks of Rajthani and Kandamanur in Andipatti block, and Dawaram, Erchakkanaickanur in Uthamapalayam were found to be water starved. Protection of traditional waterbodies, rainwater harvesting, maintenance of tanks and ponds and reuse of old borewells are to be given thrust under the scheme. The collector said that the Jal Sakthi Abhiyan should become a people’s movement in the district, with the active participation of the SHGs, volunteers, students, and officials of various departments.

District forest officer S Gowtham, project director of DRDA P Thilagavathy among others were present.