The unpolluted stretch of Cooum River is set to get one more check dam at Perambakkam in Tiruvallur district. However, residents have raised concerns over discharge of sewage and urged the State government to ensure that the check dams do not turn into sewage discharge points.

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has started the process to construct the check dam — a storage structure that will retain floodwater and boost groundwater table. It will come up around 7.7 km downstream of Kesavaram anicut at a cost of ₹6.50 crore.

Many check dams across the Cooum in Tiruvallur have retained water even during summer. This has encouraged the WRD to chalk out plans to build more storage structures for recharging groundwater and preventing floods in Chennai.

Officials said that the check dam, across the 85-metre-wide river, would have a design to discharge nearly 10,556 cubic feet of water per second (cusecs) and a storage capacity of nearly 6.74 million cubic feet of water (mcft), when filled twice a year.

“This check dam will retain water in the Cooum for a length of 1.4 km, help irrigate about 360 acres of land and recharge borewells that are used to supply drinking water…,” an official said.

The WRD is set to start the work in May or early June, and complete it in a year. Welcoming the efforts to build more check dams across the river, residents said that the check dams too were not spared of sewage discharge in fast-urbanising areas.

K. Mugundhan, co-ordinator, Unpolluted Cooum Protection Committee, said that residents of Soranchery and Anaikattucherry benefited from the new check dam near Soranchery for irrigation and drinking water needs. However, a check dam along Kaduvetti village near Paruthipattu had become vulnerable to sewage discharge. “It is important for government agencies to ensure that check dams do not become sewage discharge points of nearby local bodies,” he added.

Officials of the WRD said they were coordinating with the local bodies to address the issues.

Rourkela: Officials from the director of mines, Rourkela, were deployed Wednesday to investigate another illegal coal stock found inside Jamkani reserve forest in Sundargarh district. Around 10 tonnes of freshly-extracted coal was found along with dugout pit within 10 to 15 metres of the forest boundary near Ratansara village, during a routine patrol by range officer Harihar Patra on Tuesday.
“Four officials, including three junior mining officers, have been deputed to take custody of the illegal coal stock and conduct further examination,” said Bimbadhar Sethy, deputy director of mines (DDM), Rourkela.
The incident follows a series of illegal mining activities in the area’s forests, including Telendih, Ratansara and Bhograkochar. Two weeks ago, an enforcement team from the director of mines and geology investigated similar cases and documented several coal pits in the area.
Earlier, following media reports, district administration officials seized about 200 tonnes of illegal coal, and a junior mining officer filed an FIR at Hemgir police station. The district administration also sealed a private coal washery containing around 10,000 tonnes of illegally stored coal.
In response to calls for a thorough investigation, ministers Bibhuti Bhusan Jena (mines) and Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia (forest, environment and climate change) conducted a site visit six days ago. Collector (Sundargarh) Manoj Satyaban Mahajan has ordered a detailed inspection and compliance report from local officials.
Rourkela: Officials from the director of mines, Rourkela, were deployed Wednesday to investigate another illegal coal stock found inside Jamkani reserve forest in Sundargarh district. Around 10 tonnes of freshly-extracted coal was found along with dugout pit within 10 to 15 metres of the forest boundary near Ratansara village, during a routine patrol by range officer Harihar Patra on Tuesday.
“Four officials, including three junior mining officers, have been deputed to take custody of the illegal coal stock and conduct further examination,” said Bimbadhar Sethy, deputy director of mines (DDM), Rourkela.
The incident follows a series of illegal mining activities in the area’s forests, including Telendih, Ratansara and Bhograkochar. Two weeks ago, an enforcement team from the director of mines and geology investigated similar cases and documented several coal pits in the area.
Earlier, following media reports, district administration officials seized about 200 tonnes of illegal coal, and a junior mining officer filed an FIR at Hemgir police station. The district administration also sealed a private coal washery containing around 10,000 tonnes of illegally stored coal.
In response to calls for a thorough investigation, ministers Bibhuti Bhusan Jena (mines) and Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia (forest, environment and climate change) conducted a site visit six days ago. Collector (Sundargarh) Manoj Satyaban Mahajan has ordered a detailed inspection and compliance report from local officials.