WRD urged to remove weeds at Perumpallam anicut in Erode

Hyacinth and weeds covering the water spread area of Perumpallam anicut in Erode.
| Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN

A month after water hyacinth and other aquatic weeds were removed from the Perumpallam anicut at Surampatti, weeds have once again covered the entire water spread area of the dam, disrupting the flow of water.

The 12 km-long Perumpallam canal passes through Surampatti where the anicut was constructed in 1966 and is maintained by the Water Resources Department (WRD). The canal’s catchment area is 38.31 square mile, while the water spread area is 10.92 acre. The major source of the canal is seepage from Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal and rainwater. A canal called the Nanjai Uthukuli canal branches off from the anicut and helps in irrigating 2,545 acres in Modakkurichi taluk. Water from the downstream of the canal continues to flow and enters River Cauvery near Vendipalayam.

Aquatic weeds continue to cover the stored water even as farmers were urging the WRD to carry out proper maintenance of the anicut. On September 24, Erodai, a social organisation, began work to remove the weeds and completed it. However, due to rain, the anicut brimmed with floodwater presenting a picturesque sight for the local residents.

The city received heavy rain on November 2 bringing in copious amounts of water to the canal on Sunday. However, water hyacinth and large quantities of aquatic weeds were washed away in the canal which eventually converged at the anicut.

A farmer, K. Murugesan, said the weeds not only disrupt water flow, but also prevent the storage of more water in the anicut. “There is an urgent need to remove the weeds, as the inflow is steady,” he said.

Local residents and farmers benefiting from the Nanjai Uthukuli canal wanted the height of the anicut increased, along with strengthening of bund, to enable storage of more water during the rainy season.