Water resources got an upperhand in the budget with funds being allocated for many schemes for linking rivers and construction of recharge structures A major scheme for constructing 48,500 recharge structures across the rivers, rivulets and streams all over the State is in the pipeline Taking a firm step towards enhancing the water resources in Tamil Nadu, the Government on Thursday announced that the first phase of linking rivers within the State would be carried out at a cost of Rs 534 crore. Presenting the budget for 2008-09 in the State Assembly, Finance Minister K Anbazhagan said the National Development Council would provide assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme for linking the rivers in Tamil Nadu. As the first phase of the Cauvery-AgniarKoraiyar-Pambar-Vaigai-Gundar inter-linking scheme for taking surplus floodwater in Cauvery to water-deficit districts, the construction of the Kattalai barrage across the river would be taken up at a cost of Rs 165 crore, the minister said, adding that in the next phase, works for excavating a 255-km-long canal linking these rivers would be taken up. The Tamirabarani-Karumeniyar-Nambiar linking project for taking the surplus water from Tamirabarani river to the water-deficit areas of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts would be executed at a cost of Rs 369 crore, he said. The Minister said due to over-exploitation of groundwater, the groundwater potential in 232 of the 385 blocks in the state had considerably depleted. To check this, a major scheme for constructing 48,500 recharge structures across the rivers, rivulets and streams all over the State would be implemented. The scheme would be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 550 crore. Flood protection works will also be taken up.