CHENNAI: Protest held on dry lake banks, demand to fill water bodies

Chennai: Lakes in several villages near the Kallanai dam have dried up, leading to demands from farmers and people to refill these water bodies. With its two largest lakes completely dried up, Kadaiyakudi village in Pudukottai district, the closest area to Kallanai, is facing a severe shortage of water for agriculture and drinking water, according to a report by Daily Thanthi. The affected villagers on Tuesday protested by standing on the banks of the dry lake in the scorching sun. Raising slogans and holding empty pots and shovels, they demanded that the lakes in Kadaiyakudi be filled up to meet agricultural and drinking water needs. Communist Party of India district executive committee members Bakiri Samy and Gandhi and its central committee members Udayakumar Meyazhagan, advocate Jeevakumar and other local leaders participated in Tuesday’s protest. The villagers stressed on urgent action to overcome the water shortage and called upon the officials to ensure that the water being released from Mettur dam is effectively used to fill the lakes and ponds in the region. Water was released from Mettur dam on July 28 and Kallanai on July 31 to irrigate the Cauvery delta region. The government has directed that this water should not be wasted and should be stored efficiently in lakes and ponds across the region.