Water resource schemes in Kanyakumari district

Abstract

The water resource system of the Kanyakumari district consists of natural and manmade. There are many streams and rivulets, flowing from the hills and forests. But many such streams and torrents were harnessed wherever necessary and arrangements were perpetuated for the proper use of water. Kanyakumari district has been bestowed by the topography with enormous rivers, and tributaries. In addition to that more than 3000 tanks are recorded in ayacuts. Kanyakumari district is gifted with only three percent of the water resources of Tamil Nadu and they are mainly dependent on the rainfall of two monsoons the southwest monsoon and North-East monsoon. Water resources as old as a civilization are practiced in the Kanyakumari district from time immemorial. During the Sangam age, only the deltaic regions were endowed with water resources. The Neyyar second stage irrigation scheme was inaugurated in July 1958 when Mr. K. Kamaraj was the Chief Minister of Madras. It was a long-standing demand of the people of Vilavancode taluk to make necessary arrangements for irrigation facilities so that the dry lands on the southwest portion of Vilavancode taluk will be brought under cultivation. Vilathurai water resource system was one of the important schemes in Vilavancode taluk of Kanyakumari district. Irenipuram and the adjacent areas of Vilavancode taluk were dry and drought-hit areas. The Chittar Pattanankal water resource scheme was started when Baktavatsalam was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The Kothaiyar Water Resource System consists of Kothaiyar, Paraliyar, Chittar I and Chittar II. The Mathur aqueduct water resource scheme was constructed in 1966 during the Congress administration when Mr. Bakta Vatsalam was the Chief Minister of the then Madras Presidency. Hence the people of the Kanyakumari district feel the acute shortage of water for domestic as well as agricultural purposes. Though the Government takes steps to remove the encroachments yet these encroachments are on the increase