WRD plans permanent flood- mitigation work on Kudamuritti, Kondingal drain

The district administration has recommended the sanction of ₹77 crore from the state disaster mitigation fund for flood mitigation work proposed to be executed by the Water Resources Department (WRD) on the Kudamuritti river and Kodingal drain to prevent inundation of several low-lying areas in and around Tiruchi during monsoon.

The proposals were drawn up in the wake of the repeated inundation of low-lying colonies during the monsoon in recent years. Of the two proposals, ₹57 crore is planned to be spent for the flood-mitigation work along the Kudamuritti. The WRD has planned to build retaining walls wherever required along the river as overflows routinely cause inundation of residential areas along the Vayalur and Kuzhumani road and other places. Residents of the colonies have long been pressing for effective preventive steps to check the overflow from the river.

The WRD has proposed to strengthen the left bank of the Kudamuritti and remove the hard rock formations on the bed of the river. The river runs for 6.10 km across the city carrying the surplus water flow from Koraiyar, Uyyakondan, and Ariyar rivers to the Cauvery near Chinthamani in the city. Originating from the Puthur Aqueduct, it carries the surplus or flood discharges from Koraiyar and Uyyakondan rivers to the Cauvery. However, being a contour river, the Kudamuritti does not have a proper bund on its left. This arrangement was meant to allow the flood waters to head up whenever the Cauvery was in spate and drain when the flow subsides. Now, residential colonies and even educational institutions have come up close to the canal’s left flank.

According to WRD sources, the river had carried over 36,000 cusecs of flood waters in 2021 against it’s maximum capacity of 35,000 cusecs. This caused inundation of Shanmuga Nagar, M.M. Nagar, Fathima Nagar, Ammaiyappa Nagar, Linga Nagar, Ramalinga Nagar, Thyagaraja Nagar, Anand Nagar and the suburbs beyond Woraiyur. The WRD has now proposed to increase the river’s capacity to 46,000 cusecs.

The Kodingal drain runs for 14 km from Kodiyalam village in Srirangam taluk and drains into the Cauvery along with the Kudumuritti in the city. The canal’s capacity is 8,791 cusecs. The flood mitigation work, planned at a cost of ₹20 crore, were aimed to prevent inundation of residential areas and agricultural lands in Kodiyalam, Kuzhumani, Perur, Mekkudi, and Kambarasampettai around the city.

Although the proposals had been submitted to the government, the District Collector had now recommended the sanction of funds from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund, the official sources said.