T.N. accords sanction for Phase 2 of Grand Anicut Canal renovation project
The Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative sanction for the second phase of ‘extension, renovation and modernisation’ of the Grand Anicut (GA) Canal system in the Cauvery delta at an estimated cost of ₹447 crore.
In a government order (G.O.) issued on March 15, 2024, prior to the release of the notication for the Lok Sabha election, Sandeep Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department (WRD), accorded sanction to execute the next phase of the project in six packages to complete renovation works on the remaining portion of about 57 km of the main canal.
The canal, built during the British era, serves as a source of irrigation for about 2.25 lakh acres in Budalur, Orathanadu, Pattukottai and Peravurani areas in Thanjavur district and parts of Pudukottai district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone for the project from Chennai in February 2021. Its rst phase is being executed in ve packages, covering a length of about 92 km of the GA canal, at a cost of about ₹1,037 crore.
According to the G.O.,
The canal serves as a source of irrigation for about 2.25 lakh acres in Budalur, Orathanadu, Pattukottai and Peravurani in Thanjavur district, and parts of Pudukottai district.
the works executed under the ve packages were almost complete and it was essential that the remaining portion of the canal was renovated to ensure that water for irrigation reached the tail-end areas. The entire GA canal would be rejuvenated by implementing the second phase, it added.
Sources in the WRD indicated that two of the ve packages were already completed and the remaining works were nearing completion. The tender for the second phase was also called before the election notication was issued, they added.
Once the renovation of the main canal was complete, a separate proposal for rehabilitation of the major branch canals and distributaries would be drawn up in consultation with Collectors of Thanjavur and Pudukottai and submitted to the government, the G.O. further
said. Modernisation involves providing concrete bed lining, and renovation of regulators and other irrigation infrastructure, among others.
The project is expected to enhance the system’s water-carrying capacity and conveyance eciency and ensure equitable distribution of water to farmers. The renovated canal is expected to be more resilient to the impact of climate change by reducing breaches and «ooding.
Farmers’ concern
However, a section of farmers in some places along the canal had opposed concreting the canal bed, stating that it would impede groundwater recharging. After the farmers raised the issue, “no-nes concrete”, which allows water to percolate, is being used for the bed lining as per the recommendation of experts, the WRD sources said.