KRP Dam that had recently undergone replacement works of all its eight shutters was drained bone dry to the bed last week.
The reservoir bed that was bared for the first time in 62 years had not been desilted in that long a time. In its wake, farmers in the reservoir’s catchment areas have raised concerns about the extent of silt deposits on the reservoir bed. Farmers have also flagged the urgent need to desilt the reservoir before the monsoons hit the district.
The dam built across Thenpennai river in 1957 has a 52 feet capacity with an area of 8 km. The reservoir’s right canal runs 14.20 km and left canal runs 18.20 km. The dam has been instrumental in increasing the irrigable area to over 40,000 acres, according to sources.
The dam’s sill level capacity of 30 feet is the extent of the reservoir’s water holding capacity, and the remaining 22 feet is filled with sedimentation and silt.
According to farmers, this had impacted the full holding capacity of the reservoir. The reservoir’s water capacity should be to its full 52 feet. The farmers have demanded that the reservoir be desilted in order to enhance its capacity in time before the arrival of the monsoons.
The reservoir, once desilted will enable filling to its full capacity and also enable filling up of the intervening small and big lakes and aid in water harvesting.