Vaigai Dam lost 15-20% of capacity to silt, says minister

Theni: Vaigai Dam has lost an estimated 15-20% of its storage capacity due to silt accumulation and has never been desilted since it was built, minister for energy and law C T R Nirmal Kumar said during an inspection of the dam near Andipatti on Saturday.District collector R Vaithinathan and other officials accompanied the minister.Addressing reporters, Nirmal Kumar said review meetings held over the past week revealed that silt deposits account for 15-20% of the reservoir’s capacity in the catchment areas. Assessments for desilting are under way, and approval has been sought from the Union government to take up the work. “Vaigai Dam has not been desilted since its construction.

Silt has accumulated in several areas. Though efforts were initiated by previous governments, they were never implemented,” he said.The minister said the state government plans to expedite the desilting project and begin work within two months, subject to receiving the necessary approvals. “We conducted a preliminary inspection on Saturday, and the desilting work is scheduled to begin within the next two months,” he added.

Responding to the minister’s remarks, Theni district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, T Kannan, said most dams in India, including Vaigai Dam, had never been desilted. “Several studies on desilting have already been conducted. At one stage, there was a proposal to construct an auxiliary dam instead of spending on desilting, but that plan was dropped. Ultimately, neither proposal materialised,” he said.Kannan also expressed doubts over the feasibility of commencing desilting within two months, noting that the onset of rains could affect the project timeline.