Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government has begun desilting the 150-year-old Srivaikundam dam, the only reservoir across Tamirabarani river, bringing cheer to farmers of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts. This followed an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT.) Going a step further, the NGT has ordered the government the status of other reservoirs, which may require desilting, in the state.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who appeared for the petitioner for the first time in the case before NGT here, said the tribunal’s order was significant since it had asked the government to check the other reservoirs too. He also took credit for the commencement of desilting the Srivaikundam dam. It was because of his pressure tactics the government began work, he claimed. A Bench comprising judicial member P. Jyothimani and expert member R. Nagendran, had during the last three hearings ordered the government to complete the desilting before the onset of monsoon.
The Bench had come down heavily on the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change for not giving clearance for desilting. On Wednesday when PWD counsel Abdul Saleem said the work had commenced, Justice Jyothimani expressed happiness and appreciated PWD, MoEF and the petitioner S. Joel.
The Bench directed the government to complete the work on a war footing and submit a status report to the court every 15 days showing the progress. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on July 16.
Built by the British, the Srivaikundam dam had not been desilted even once. The result, the storage capacity plummeted to 0.3 tmc ft from its total capacity of eight tmcft affecting irrigation for one lakh acres.
