Nine big tanks to be desilted and interlinked in Dindigul The Dindigul Municipality has plans to invest Rs.98.44 crore to raise groundwater table and recharge bore and open wells within the town limits by desilting nine big tanks and interlinking them with supply channels. Surplus water from these tanks will be diverted through prime channels to reach Kudaganar river and stored in the Kudaganar dam. Briefing residential colonies’ associations, traders and merchants on the proposal at a special meeting here on Thursday, Municipal Chairman V. Marudharaj said this project would be implemented in two stages. “A sum of Rs.41.94 crore will be spent in phase I and Rs.56.5 crore phase II,” he noted. Nine tanks – Chinnan Kulam, Raja Kulam, Aranmanai Kulam, Paraipatti Kulam, Gopal Samudram, Ayyan Kulam, Marudhanikulam, Sengulam, Siluvathur Tank – would be desilted and interlinked. “Eleven prime channels, stretching to 13.9 kilometres in total, 19 secondary channels covering a total length of 16.30 km and two tertiary drains of a total length of 2.04 km will be constructed to connect the tanks and take surplus water to the next tank,” he said. “To collect rainwater within the municipal limits, stormwater channels will be constructed to a length of 310 km. The existing 117-km-long channels within the town limits will also be renovated,” he pointed out. The existing drains would be remodelled and 63.55-km roadside drains rehabilitated, the Chairman said. “Besides, the existing stormwater drains will be widened and deepened. The level of drains will be modified at merging points, missing links between channels will be renovated, new alignment formed and diversion of drains formed at necessary points to maintain flow of rainwater,” he noted. This plan would prevent stagnation of water on streets and clogging of channels, he added. Social worker N. Chandran said maintenance of these structures was more important than creation of structures. The Dindigul Municipality recently started renovating Gopala Samudram, one of the oldest tanks and the only drinking water source to entire Dindigul till the 1970s. Even today, it is the biggest source to recharge bore and open wells within town limits.