A 22-km water channel has come to life, after 45 years, thanks to the residents of Villupuram and three villages.
Originating at the zero point of the Thenpennaiar at Thelimedu, the Villupuram channel meandered its way to eight waterbodies that helped to recharge the groundwater table and meet the drinking water requirements of Villupuram town. The waterbodies are Villupuram Periya Eri, Puthu Eri, Sitheri, Virattikuppam Eri, Maruthur Eri, Ayyankovilpattu Eri, Vazhuthureddi Eri and Thattampalayam Eri.
But the channel lost its glory with waste dumping, encroachments on account of farming activities and the closure of a part of the channel after the Villupuram-Chennai national highway was four-laned in 2003. Instead of building a culvert, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) closed the channel near the west end of Villupuram, thus stopping the flow from the Thenpennaiar to Periya Eri. Then, debris and silt filled the channel.
Since 2015, the town had gone through a severe water scarcity. Lack of maintenance of the channels meant the eight waterbodies remained dry, while the other waterbodies in the district brimmed. This was when a group of residents from Villupuram and from Nannadu, Viratikuppam and Alathur stepped in. “We found that the Villupuram channel had once flowed 22 km and recharged eight large waterbodies spread over 900 acres. But a major portion of the channel was encroached upon and covered with debris and was on the verge of extinction,” says Ra. Panchamurthy, a member of the Villupuram Channel Committee.
“A WhatsApp group of youths from Villupuram and the three villages was formed. This group decided to desilt the channel and the inlets to streamline the flow to the eight tanks. In 2018, the residents volunteered to do manual work, while others contributed money for the first phase of restoration,” he says.
“The locals cleared the waste, strengthened the embankments and carried out other works to increase storage. Though the channel received around 20% of the flow from the Thenpennaiar, it stopped after a few days,” Mr. Panchamurthy added. Yet, the youths continued their efforts and restored the channel to a distance of 16 km in 2019. Their dream became a reality, and the channel got a copious flow from the Thenpennaiar, reaching 65% of its carrying capacity.
“The Water Resources Department joined the efforts and sanctioned ₹35 lakh under the ‘kudimaramathu’ scheme in 2020,” according to T. Dakshinamoorthy, a resident of Nannadu.
Subsequently, the villagers and the residents of Villupuram found that the channel had to be restored to another 6 km from Nannadu to Villupuram town and approached the district administration for help. Collector D. Mohan inspected the channel and promised them funds. However, the villagers raised ₹8.54 lakh through crowdfunding and restored the final portion of the channel.
The channel is back on the district’s water map. The efforts of the villagers have helped to drive up the groundwater table, and irrigated 250 acres of farmland around the eight waterbodies.
