Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy and Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara holding a meeting with officials on Athikadavu – Avinashi project at the Collectorate in Erode on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The date of commissioning the Athikadavu-Avinashi Ground Water Recharge and Drinking Water Supply Scheme will be decided once officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) conduct a study and submit a report in two days to confirm whether water could be supplied continuously to fill 1,045 water bodies in three districts, said Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy here on Saturday.
The Minister in the presence of Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara chaired a meeting with officials at the Collectorate to review the progress of the scheme.
Addressing media persons, the Minister said the project needed continuous supply of water whereas officials, given the present water availability, pointed out that water could not be supplied continuously. He said water would be released for irrigation in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal on August 15 and the seepage would also provide water for the project. The backwater from River Cauvery was also not available now, he added.
At present, the discharge of water in the Kalingarayan Canal was also reduced due to rain. “Since, rain has stopped, we have to increase the discharge in the canal,” he said.
The Minister said officials were asked to study the current water availability and requirements for irrigation to decide whether water could be supplied continuously for the project. “Officials will submit a report in two days after which a date for commissioning the project will be decided,” he added.