Tiruppur's PAP canal turning death trap, 191 persons dead in four years

TIRUPPUR: The PAP water canal is turning into a killer channel with  191 persons drowning in the last four years, according to police records.

Parambikulam Aliyar Project ( aka PAP or PAP canal) is a unique project in Western Tamil Nadu developed between 1958 and 1990. The canal originates in the Thirumoorthy dam and its branches run for more than 124 kilometres across Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts.

The number of fatalities has been steadily rising over the years - 44 (2018), 39 (2019) 41 (2020), 45 (2021), and 22 (till June 15, 2022).

PAP Vellakoil branch water conservation association (Kangayam-Vellakoil) president P Velusamy said, "The canal is an important water source for Tiruppur district. It takes water across 600 villages. Sadly, the canal is also turning into a grave. It intersects through roads and highways where youngsters enter the waters. Sometimes even elderly persons and women try to have a dip."

Alagumalai panchayat president R Thuyamani, said, "The canal passes through several farmlands and road interjections in Dharapuram Road, Palladam Road, and other places. I believe fencing the entry points at farmlands can reduce drowning incidents. Many elderly persons drown while bathing or washing their clothes in the channel."

A Public Works Department (Pongalur) official said, "We were using friends of police members to guard the canal and rescue people who drown. Due to technical issues, the unit was disbanded. Besides, building an enclosure such as solar panels, cement slabs or fences is impractical. We will remove the steps along the banks in some spots of the canal. Further, we plan to fence the canal using thorns in vulnerable spots."

District Fire Safety Officer Kangeya Bhoopathy said, "PAP canal is different from other water bodies such as quarries which are filled with water or river. While the quarries can be fenced, it is tough to erect fencing the entire length of the PAP canal. More importantly, water flowing through the PAP canal is a strong undercurrent, as the water is forced to reach all sections or branches of the canal. So live rescue is very tough.

In some spots, the depth is five feet, but in many spots, it is around 10 feet. This endangers even good swimmers and rescue personnel from our department. We have installed warning boards and plan to organise awareness programmes in each village."