Cholavaram lake dam is safe: Tamil Nadu government assures.
Tamil Nadu: The government has stated that the Cholavaram lake dam is completely safe and has not sustained any damage.
A press release issued by the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department on Sunday stated: Cholavaram Lake, located in Ponneri taluk of Tiruvallur district, is one of the main sources of drinking water for Chennai. The height of the lake embankment has been increased to 19.96 meters, and its capacity has been increased to 108 million cubic feet.
Similarly, as per the advice of the Central Water Commission and the Dam Safety Mission, a proposal was submitted for the reconstruction of the Cholavaram lake embankment at a cost of Rs. 120 crore after several stages of testing. In the first phase, the embankment between 2,800 meters and 3,150 meters was renovated at a cost of Rs. 40 crore, and the work was completed.
Minor crack: In this context, during the northeast monsoon that commenced on October 14, a minor crack developed on the tar road built on the embankment between 2,500 meters and 2,670 meters.
This was found to be due to the soil structure of the lower part of the dam and high groundwater flow. Subsequently, based on the advice of a special high-level technical committee, including the Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department, repairs are being carried out on the dam.
Such minor cracks and erosion pits on the lower embankment slope are being repaired immediately at the contractor’s own expense.
Similarly, to prevent damage to the dam embankments due to rain, it has been repaired with a cement-bentonite mixture and covered with tarpaulin. Therefore, it has been clarified that the Cholavaram lake dam is very safe and without any damage.
