Trichy: Farmers have raised apprehensions on the stability of the Mukkombu barrage as they say the PWD is continuing to mine sand from very close to the regulator for using it to strengthen the temporary bund built where the shutters were washed away in the flood waters. The farmers had been claiming that it was sand mining in Cauvery and Kollidam rivers that led to the collapse of nine shutters of the regulator at Mukkombu.Instead of taking it from near the barrage, the farmers have appealed to the authorities to collect sand from wherever dunes were blocking the water flow. Consequent to the heavy rain in Karnataka, more than 2 lakh cusecs of water was discharged to Mettur reservoir leading to heavy flow in both Kollidam and Cauvery in Mukkombu barrage. Subsequently, nine shutters of the regulator were washed away along with the piers. The PWD authorities had struggled for more than 15 days to plug the breach using sandbags to construct a temporary bund on the upper stream.Indiscriminate sand mining was stated to be the main reason for the collapse of the regulator and farmers as well as the general public had appealed for permanent ban on mining activities on river beds. However, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had denied the allegations. Though the work for plugging the breach had been completed, strengthening of the temporary bund is in progress. It was in this context that the farmers alleged that the sand used by the PWD authorities was being collected from very close to the portion of the barrage in the river which had remained unaffected.“At this juncture, the PWD officials are repeating the same mistakes. They are collecting thousands of bags of sand just 100 metres away from the barrage on the downstream, where a new barrage would come up. Without realising the consequences of deepening the river bed, officials allowed the workers to collect sand from very close to the barrage. If water is released during monsoon, it would be a definite threat to the barrage”, alleged Ayilai Sivasuriyan, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to CPI.Instead of mining at the same spot, the officials should clear the sand dunes blocking water flow on Ayyan, Peruvalai and Pullambadi irrigation canals which take course from Kollidam river near Mukkombu, he opined. “It is due to the sand dunes on these canals that villages like Chenna Karai, Kallur, Vathalai and Kariyamanickam are flooded whenever water flows to its brim”, he added.When contacted, executive engineer of PWD river conservation division, T P Ganesan, told TOI that the strengthening of the temporary bund was under way. The width had been expanded to 6 metres from 4 metres while the height had been raised to 5 foot. However, he said that sand was being collected 500 metres away from the existing barrage on the downstream of the river. So, there won’t be any threat to the regulator.

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