Chennai

There was a check dam sanctioned in 2004 and Rs 120 crore was sanctioned, said Ajay Tannirkulam, Trustee, Magasool Trust. “But after the issuance of the government order, the work didn’t proceed. 

The check dam is important in this locality, which is close to the sea. Due to usage of groundwater by farmers as well as the Kalpakkam Nuclear Plant, the levels have gone down and there is salt water incursion into the groundwater, he said. 

“Andhra Pradesh is building check dams on Palar. Tamil Nadu government is protesting the move but if the water runs to our state, there will be no way to prevent this from draining into the sea. We can save this water for irrigation,” Ajay added. 

Voicing a similar concern, R Umapathy, a 40-year-old farmer, said that the groundwater depletion has drastically affected irrigation. “Earlier, 20 feet into the ground, we will get water. Now, we should drill to a depth of at least 50 feet.” 

On July 23, close to 300 farmers and villagers will form a human chain on the Palar Bridge. “We want to pressurise the government to acknowledge this problem and ensure that the work on the check dam proceeds beyond the GO stage,” said Ajay.

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