In a positive move, the Water Resource Department (WRD) has begun the preparations for repair work of sluice at ‘Periyakulam’ in Thazhakudy, which supports the irrigation of over 700 acres of agricultural lands in the region.

The sluice at the tank has remained damaged for several years, making it difficult to supply irrigation water to hundreds of acres of agricultural lands.

For years, farmer representatives from Nanjil Nadu Puthanar Canal users association and other associations had been consistently raising demands for its repair.

Responding to these demands, WRD has now initiated arrangements to repair the sluice and install a new screw gearing shutter, with the work expected to be completed within a few weeks.

Chenbagasekara Pillai, a farmer from Thuvarankadu, said that earlier people used to swim into the tank to manually open the sluice. Over time, the structure became damaged and with few people able to undertake such tasks, water regulation became extremely difficult.

He welcomed the installation of a new screw geared shutter.

However, since the sluice is located in a low lying area, the repair work can be carried out after completely draining the water from the tank. Accordingly, irrigation department authorities began the process of draining the tank.

A.Wins Anto, chairperson, Kodhayar Irrigation Project Committee said that nearly ₹15 lakh has been allocated for the project, and the final figures would be confirmed in the coming days. He added that farmers also met the State highways department authorities and requested arrangements for temporary diversion of vehicles, as the traffic along the road on the tank bund will be affected during the repair work.