More than 40% of the work to rejuvenate the twin lakes — Kazhinjur and Dharapadavedu — near Katpadi town in Vellore has been completed, officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) said on Tuesday.
Accompanied by Collector P. Kumaravel Pandian, Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan on Tuesday inspected the ongoing work. “The work will help store excess rainwater during monsoon. It will be completed by March next year,” R. Ramkumar, Assistant Engineer (AE), PWD (Katpadi), told The Hindu.
The work began in December 2022. Spread over 100 acres, the twin lakes are separated by a narrow channel. Each lake, on an average, can store 35 mcft of water. Under the Rehabilitation and Restoration of Twin Lakes scheme, the WRD took up the work at a cost of ₹28.45 crore.
As part of it, the lakes are being desilted to the original depth of six metres. The lakes will be deepened to store additional rainwater during monsoon. A tiled walkers’ path is also being laid around the two lakes and a nine-ft.-high compound is being built to ensure safety of visitors. Man-made islands will be built at the centre of the lakes so that the waterbodies also become a tourist hub. It will attract migratory birds. Native tree species will be planted on the islands. Saplings will be procured free of cost from the Department of Horticulture and farmers.
Of 519 tanks in Vellore, 101 are maintained by the WRD. In Katpadi, the WRD maintains at least 24 tanks, including Kazhinjur and Dharapadavedu. S.D. Shanmugam, Special Chief Engineer, and R. Ramesh, Assistant Engineer, were present during the inspection.
