Vellore cleans up river tanks to save rain

Clearing Tanks

The Water Resources Department and Exnora International are clearing out the invasive seemai karuvelam plant from dry irrigation tanks along the Palar River in Vellore. The work is being done ahead of the Northeast monsoon so the tanks can store extra rainwater from upstream reservoirs. Officials state that about 20 irrigation tanks have been picked for this project. Workers have already finished clearing six tanks, which include Thorapadi inside the Vellore Corporation, Agaramcheri, Kolamangalam, and Melmanavur.

Project Scale

Collector P.S. Leela Alex started the plan after local farmers asked the district administration to take out the unwanted plants. The Water Resources Department maintains 101 irrigation tanks in the district, and each tank is six metres deep and covers at least 50 hectares. Officials report that roughly 15 tonnes of these plants grow on an average in just one acre of an irrigation tank. Cleaning one tank costs about six lakh rupees, and the project has covered about 200 hectares so far. Special teams of Water Resources Department officials are keeping watch on the work, which is carried out by Exnora International. The pulled-out plants go to paper-making and wood-brick-making units in southern districts. It takes two years for these plants to grow back in the waterbodies after removal.

Context

Removing thick plant growth from water storage tanks helps water sink into the earth and raises the local groundwater level. This large-scale removal effort is happening for the first time as a permanent step to catch and save rainwater before storms arrive.