Mordhana Dam releases water for irrigation after completing canal desilting work

The Water Resources Department has completed desilting of Mordhana Dam's main canals ahead of a nine-day water release that began for irrigation until September 1, countering claims by the local MP that the channels remained clogged.

A 20-member maintenance team cleared the left and right canals before Collector P.S. Leena Alex and WRD officials opened the sluices to release an average 225 cusecs daily, totalling 174.96 mcft over the period, to recharge groundwater at least 10 kilometres downstream. "Based on requests from farmers, water has been released to fill tanks downstream," S. Kalipriyan, Assistant Engineer (Gudiyatham), told The Hindu.

MP flags tail-end irrigation risk

Vellore MP D.M. Kathir Anand had alleged in a press release that incomplete desilting of canals and feeder channels would impair water flow, particularly in tail-end areas. The WRD rejected the charge, pointing to periodic maintenance carried out before the scheduled release.

Left canal restored under state scheme

The left canal, which runs 31.84 km across 19 villages covering 1,710.92 hectares of farmland, underwent restoration in July 2025 under the Rehabilitation and Restoration of Lakes scheme 2024-25. Silt deposited over years of cultivation was excavated to a depth of three metres, and thick vegetation on bunds and slopes was cleared to ensure steady flow. The canal, three metres wide, serves the ayacut areas of seven tanks.

Water to benefit 2,500 acres, nine tanks

The reservoir, built across the Koundinya River, a Palar tributary, currently holds 235.03 mcft against a total capacity of 261.3 mcft. The release will benefit nine tanks in Gudiyatham and Katpadi taluks, enabling cultivation on around 2,500 acres and recharging groundwater in their vicinity. While the Koundinya directly irrigates 140 acres, another 220 acres are served by the canals.

"Water from the dam will help cultivate paddy, groundnuts, and banana along the river as most of the water bodies have become dry. Most farmers in the region depend on borewells for irrigation," said T. Pasupathi, a farmer.

Source: The Hindu