Parambikulam dam’s damaged shutter replaced

COIMBATORE: Work on replacing the damaged shutter of Parambikulam dam in Palakkad is completed and the reservoir is ready to hold to its full capacity.

One of the three shutters broke off on September 21 resulting in up to six tmc of water draining out of the dam, which then had full storage of nearly 72 feet following copious rains. Soon after the incident, a technical team took up the task of fixing the new shutter.

The state government also allotted Rs 7.2 crore to carry out repair works in the dam, which serves as a main source of drinking water to Coimbatore and Tirupur. Also, more than 4.25 lakh acres of farmlands are irrigated under the PAP project on Aliyar and Palar river basins in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts, while 22,000 acres in Kerala are dependent on the dam for its irrigational needs.

“The new shutter, weighing 42 tonnes, is 42 feet in length and 27 feet in height. As work got over, it was tested for its withholding capacity. Storage can now be increased in the dam,” said a Public Works Department (PWD) official. The water level in the dam, which remained at 41 feet over the last few weeks, has now increased to 44 feet and is likely to go up further due to rains.