Kasaragod is set to become the first district in the State to construct rubber check dams for water conservation and flood prevention.
The project was approved by the district level committee of the Kasargod Development Package at a meeting chaired by District Collector D. Sajith Babu.
Special Officer E.P. Rajamohan told The Hindu that in the first phase, rubber check dams would be built in five areas in the district. The project was being implemented by the Irrigation Department with technical assistance from the Indian Institute of Water Management, a Central Government agency under the ICAR of Bhubaneswar.
The five areas were selected after a team of experts from the ICAR visited the sites and approved the construction of the dams, he said.
The first phase of the project would be at the Madhu Vahini Puzha in Madhur panchayat; Alanthatta-Nappachal Thodu in Kayyu Cheemeni panchayat; Maniyattuthottu in Pilicode panchayat; Manjeswaram Puzha in Vorkady panchaya; and Manadukkam-Erinjalamkode Thodu in Panathady panchayat. He said that ₹2.43 crore had been set apart for the development of the check dams.
The new concept of rubber check dam was implemented in Ooty and other places such as Odisha, he said. Unlike concrete dams, rubber check dams were more durable. The dam would last 15 to 25 years and it would have a storage height of 1.5 m to 2.5 m.
“The biggest advantage of the dam is that when the water level rises during floods or heavy rain, it can be easily released,” he said.
The team of experts from the Irrigation Department had taken the decision to implement the project after a visit to the rubber check dam constructed in Ooty, Mr. Rajamohan said.
