Chennai: Work on construction of a check dam across river Palar in Kancheepuram district began with a formal 'bhoomi puja' on Monday.
Calling the dam “long pending,” a press release from the department of atomic energy which is funding check dam, estimated at about Rs 32.50 crore, says that it aims to tackle seawater intrusion and augment supply for various drinking water schemes, an official release here said. “The 1.190-kilometre long check dam would help retain the floodwater that would otherwise flow into the sea. This check dam will provide an additional storage capacity of up to 1,500 million cubic metres with two fillings, and nearly 330 hectares of agricultural land would benefit through this scheme,” release said.
The project is funded by DAE and executed through its General Services Organisation (GSO), Kalpakkam, and will be implemented by the state government's water resources department (WRD), the release said. On completion of this check dam by March 2020, the water stored and recharged would be used for domestic and agricultural purposes in the surrounding areas.
The bhoomi puja was performed to mark the commencement of the construction work by law minister C Ve Shanmugam, rural industries minister P. Benjamin, AK Bhaduri, director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). M Srinivas, Station Director, Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Kalpakkam, among others were present during the occasion.
