The Water Resources Department (WRD) has completed nearly 80% of the work taken up under the special desilting work this year in the Tiruchi region covering 12 districts, including the Cauvery delta. The department is planning to complete the work by the end of May.

The department had taken up 959 works, covering a total length of 4,972 km, at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore, covering the Cauvery, the Cauvery East, the Vennar, the Grand Anicut, and the Agniyar Basin Divisions in the region.

“We have completed 764 works, covering 4,446 km, as on May 22 and the remaining works are targeted to be completed by the end of this month. Even if there is some spillover we will complete them by the first week of June,” S. Sivakumar, Chief Engineer, WRD, Tiruchi, told The Hindu.

A maximum of 310 works were sanctioned at an estimated cost of ₹27.62 crore in Thanjavur district in the region followed by Tiruvarur district with 185 works an an estimate of ₹17.47 crore. About 120 works were taken up in Mayiladuthurai district at a cost of ₹8.37 crore and 57 in Nagapattinam district at a cost of ₹6.07 crore.

In Tiruchi district, 112 works have been taken up at an estimate of ₹15.48 crore. Of this, 62 works are being executed by the River Conservation Division and 50 by the Ariyar Division of the WRD. So far, over 95% of the works have been completed, the officials said.

With the work being taken up well in advance in the first week of March this year, the department has had ample time to execute the work, the officials said. “We had more than 90 days and this gave us adequate time to carry out the work in a systematic manner. There have not been many complaints regarding the work this time. In recent days, we have doubled the machines deployed for the work. We have covered several places where waterlogging had been reported previously,” Mr. Sivakumar said.

As the Collectors were busy with the Assembly elections, the department had deputed Superintending Engineers for each district to monitor the work.

The elections also kept the local politicians busy and the work could be executed without any interference, sources in the department in delta region said.

While the department focussed largely on A and B category channels and drains, the Agriculture Engineering Department has taken up the task of desilting C and D channels, which are crucial for farmers. In Tiruvarur district alone, C and D channels are being cleared of silt for a total length of about 350 km.