Suggestions to T N Govt. on rain water management
Excess rain in the monsoon period should be managed in such a way ,to void floods and store and preserve the water to meet the need of the summer months.
By collecting and storing the water in numerous reservoirs and lakes in Tamil Nadu, flood during monsoon period can be avoided and water starvation during summer months can be eliminated.
Now, it has become routine for Tamil Nadu citizens and the farmers to suffer from excess rain between October and December and suffer from lack of water in summer days.
Choked waterways in Chennai:
There are the waterways in Chennai with the length of around 23 kilometres served by Buckingham canal, Cooum river, Adyar river and others , which now remain mostly choked. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent by government of Tamil Nadu during the last several years to remove the sludge in these canals and make the water flow smoothly. All such investments have virtually been wasted due to unacceptable level of inefficiency and nepotism in executing the work by ministers / government officials.
The choked canals prevent the smooth water flow during the excess rain and cause flooding.
There are 9 sewage treatment plants in the periphery of Chennai city. The treated water from these sewage treatment plants are let into the above canals to be let into the Bay of Bengal. However, huge quantity of untreated sewage is let into the channels that take the treated water from the sewage treatment plants to the canal and sea. This results in a scenario where the sewage water gets mixed with treated water and choke the canals.
The Tamil Nadu government has been spending several crores of rupees for clearing the choke without taking steps to avoid the sludge getting into the canal.
Failure of desilting measures :
There are around 40,000 tanks and 79 reservoirs in Tamil Nadu. This include around 400 tanks in Chennai city.
Around 20% of the water holding capacity in these tanks and reservoirs have been lost due to accumulation of sludge and silt. The total storage capacity of these tanks and reservoirs is more than the storage capacity of all the dams in Tamil Nadu.
Desilting of the 40 000 tanks and 79 reservoirs in the state is the only way to improve their effective storage capacity, avoid floods and store and conserve water.
All the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government and huge money spent for desilting operations for the last fifty years or so have failed due to corruption in awarding contracts, poor execution of work and lack of supervision by the government officials.
The recent Kudimaramathu scheme to desilt tanks have not served the purpose effectively, since the task was given only to the farmers with cumbersome procedures and it was not open for public.
First suggestion:
The suggestion is to let anyone, whether individual or groups to take the silt from the reservoirs and tanks free of charge and use it for whatever purposes and in the process , they can earn income. Some guidelines and rules can be stipulated by the government for this purpose.
Top half foot of the silt can be used as agriculture input. Next half foot of the silt can be used for making bricks. Next two feet of the silt can be used for laying roads and for construction purposes to some extent.
A few years back, when there was a storm, several trees fell in the Chennai city and Chennai corporation asked the people to take away the fallen trees without paying any price. The city was cleared of fallen trees in just two days.
During the last year’s vardha cyclone, when trees fell in huge number in Chennai city , Chennai corporation insisted that it would remove the trees by itself. Labourers were brought in from all over Tamil Nadu. It took several days to remove the fallen trees and take it to the collection point and then auction it. It is reported that the money realized by the Chennai corporation in auctioning the fallen trees was less than the money spent by the Chennai Corporation for removal of the fallen trees.
Leaving the desilting operation of tanks and reservoirs to the people will ensure quick completion of the job and at no cost to the government.
Second suggestion:
Under the corporate social responsibility ( CSR) scheme of Government of India, every company in the private and public sector that has a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or annual turn over of Rs. 1000 crore and net profit of around Rs,. 5 crore has to compulsorily spend 2% of the profit for CSR activity.
Tamil Nadu government should persuade the companies in public and private sector operating in Tamil Nadu to use the CSR funds for cleaning the Cooum, Buckingham and other canals in Chennai city as well as the canals all over Tamil Nadu. The companies can do this job competently and efficiently and in a way much better than the government officials and complete the task in quick time.
On the other hand, at present ,the CSR funds are spent by the companies without any coordinated action plan or guidance from the government.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice For The Deprived
nandinivoice.com more
By collecting and storing the water in numerous reservoirs and lakes in Tamil Nadu, flood during monsoon period can be avoided and water starvation during summer months can be eliminated.
Now, it has become routine for Tamil Nadu citizens and the farmers to suffer from excess rain between October and December and suffer from lack of water in summer days.
Choked waterways in Chennai:
There are the waterways in Chennai with the length of around 23 kilometres served by Buckingham canal, Cooum river, Adyar river and others , which now remain mostly choked. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent by government of Tamil Nadu during the last several years to remove the sludge in these canals and make the water flow smoothly. All such investments have virtually been wasted due to unacceptable level of inefficiency and nepotism in executing the work by ministers / government officials.
The choked canals prevent the smooth water flow during the excess rain and cause flooding.
There are 9 sewage treatment plants in the periphery of Chennai city. The treated water from these sewage treatment plants are let into the above canals to be let into the Bay of Bengal. However, huge quantity of untreated sewage is let into the channels that take the treated water from the sewage treatment plants to the canal and sea. This results in a scenario where the sewage water gets mixed with treated water and choke the canals.
The Tamil Nadu government has been spending several crores of rupees for clearing the choke without taking steps to avoid the sludge getting into the canal.
Failure of desilting measures :
There are around 40,000 tanks and 79 reservoirs in Tamil Nadu. This include around 400 tanks in Chennai city.
Around 20% of the water holding capacity in these tanks and reservoirs have been lost due to accumulation of sludge and silt. The total storage capacity of these tanks and reservoirs is more than the storage capacity of all the dams in Tamil Nadu.
Desilting of the 40 000 tanks and 79 reservoirs in the state is the only way to improve their effective storage capacity, avoid floods and store and conserve water.
All the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government and huge money spent for desilting operations for the last fifty years or so have failed due to corruption in awarding contracts, poor execution of work and lack of supervision by the government officials.
The recent Kudimaramathu scheme to desilt tanks have not served the purpose effectively, since the task was given only to the farmers with cumbersome procedures and it was not open for public.
First suggestion:
The suggestion is to let anyone, whether individual or groups to take the silt from the reservoirs and tanks free of charge and use it for whatever purposes and in the process , they can earn income. Some guidelines and rules can be stipulated by the government for this purpose.
Top half foot of the silt can be used as agriculture input. Next half foot of the silt can be used for making bricks. Next two feet of the silt can be used for laying roads and for construction purposes to some extent.
A few years back, when there was a storm, several trees fell in the Chennai city and Chennai corporation asked the people to take away the fallen trees without paying any price. The city was cleared of fallen trees in just two days.
During the last year’s vardha cyclone, when trees fell in huge number in Chennai city , Chennai corporation insisted that it would remove the trees by itself. Labourers were brought in from all over Tamil Nadu. It took several days to remove the fallen trees and take it to the collection point and then auction it. It is reported that the money realized by the Chennai corporation in auctioning the fallen trees was less than the money spent by the Chennai Corporation for removal of the fallen trees.
Leaving the desilting operation of tanks and reservoirs to the people will ensure quick completion of the job and at no cost to the government.
Second suggestion:
Under the corporate social responsibility ( CSR) scheme of Government of India, every company in the private and public sector that has a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or annual turn over of Rs. 1000 crore and net profit of around Rs,. 5 crore has to compulsorily spend 2% of the profit for CSR activity.
Tamil Nadu government should persuade the companies in public and private sector operating in Tamil Nadu to use the CSR funds for cleaning the Cooum, Buckingham and other canals in Chennai city as well as the canals all over Tamil Nadu. The companies can do this job competently and efficiently and in a way much better than the government officials and complete the task in quick time.
On the other hand, at present ,the CSR funds are spent by the companies without any coordinated action plan or guidance from the government.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice For The Deprived
nandinivoice.com more
Viewed by 592
Even if existing temple tanks, village tanks etc are maintained, most of the water could be saved. Our ancestors in Tamilnadu had constructed temple tanks with every temple with waterways for inflow into temple tanks even from distance of more than 10 kms. But illegal construction apporovals without checking water flow path had created havoc. Even in last sunami in 2015, every one was talking recovery of lakes, deepening, removal of encroachments etc. What is the present status ? In many villages, people have taken the assignments themselves which has yielded good results. At least Govt have to encourage them, if not done by them more
Nov 04
yes. Absolutely correct. The Public Works Department who is solely responsible for the maintenance of major water bodies did not devoted its full attention in the maintenance of water bodies but concentrated only minting in river sand. more
Nov 04
Nice idea we have to create few more new reservoirs for chennai city for diverting this rain water which is going to the sea which is of no use.secondly every where rain water harvesting should be done in city area which will recharge ground water to greater extent.Government to devise proper plans in consultation with people representatives water experts to overcome this problem in the larger interest of the people of chennai as well whole Tamilnadu with out making politics over this issue. more
Nov 04
Am a resident of Mugalivakkam. Check dam to store water of about 20 feet, at Manapakkam on the Adyar river would be useful for the surrounding localities on the ground water usage. Govt can think boating to gain some revenuw. more
Nov 04
If the Govt wants to do something good for the welfare of the people, they can do it / as you have rightly pointed out, the rain water can be stored - rain water harvesting needs to be made mandatory by every household; the treated water can be utilised for Park / garden maintenance and developments as is being done in Karnataka more
Nov 04
