Engineer revives abandoned Melaiyur tank in Thanjavur 

TIRUCHY: Nimal Raghavan, a young engineer from Thanjavur, has tasked himself with the noble work of restoring tanks across the country. His recent stint with an abandoned tank in Thanjavur's Melaiyur near Okkanadu has showered him with laurels from the villagers and elected representatives, including the Thanjavur MP.

The 4-acre tank in Melaiyur was left abandoned after several years of encroachment. The residents, particularly the farmers, had relentlessly appealed to breathe life back into the water body to sustain agriculture in several thousand acres around Melaiyur.

They sought MP S Murasoli to help with their cause, who in turn deputed Nimal Raghavan of Nediyam near Peravurani to take on the revival. Nimal initiated steps and approached the residents for crowdfunding.

He also contributed a sum from his NGO, Mega Foundation, and mobilised around Rs 3 lakh and commenced the desilt works with the villagers. With the support of revenue officials, encroachments were removed to restore the tank.

The tank was dedicated to the public utility, and MP Murasoli felicitated Nimal Ragavan for his dedication. For Nimal, this is his 255th revival. "We have been desilting water bodies in the villages and even reviving the abandoned tanks in the villages. “Along with the reviving of the tank, we have desilted the inlet and outlet channels to ensure free flow of water," said Nimal. He also said that, after reviving the water body, they had planted palmyrah seeds around the tank.

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