Rehabilitation of Kollidam river system to protect flood-prone areas in the offing

The Water Resources Department has initiated a plan to rehabilitate and strengthen the Kollidam river system. It has hired a consultancy group to prepare a detailed project report (DPR), which is expected to be ready in three months.

The Water Resources Department has initiated a plan to rehabilitate and strengthen the Kollidam river system. It has hired a consultancy group to prepare a detailed project report (DPR), which is expected to be ready in three months.

This project assumes significance as many stretches of the Kollidam’s bunds have weakened, putting some villages at risk. The project would cover the river from the Upper Anicut (Mukkombu) to the sea. The primary goal is to improve the irrigation systems, including the channels on both sides of the river.

Covering a 168-km stretch, the project spans the districts of Tiruchi, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, and Mayiladuthurai. The plan includes strengthening river bunds, adding earthen barriers, and constructing other protective structures to prevent river water from flooding farmlands. The project will repair and upgrade existing structures such as groynes, which help manage the river’s flow. Strengthened protection walls will help prevent floods in the villages along the river, especially in Mayiladuthurai and Cuddalore. Repairing old inlets will be part of this project.

“This project is necessary because the Kollidam has never undergone a complete rehabilitation before. The Water Resources Department faces significant challenges during floods due to this lack of infrastructure. The Rehabilitation of the Kollidam River System project, aims to address these issues. The cost of the project is still being estimated,” said a senior official.

Given that the Kollidam is the largest flood carrier in the region, the project will benefit about 59,000 hectares of land along the stretch.