Wake up and divert Mettur water to 100 dry lakes in Salem: EPS

COIMBATORE: AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Salem said the state government should wake up from its slumber and prevent surplus water from Mettur draining into the sea. “The AIADMK launched a scheme to divert surplus water from Mettur dam to 100 dry lakes in Salem district. If these water bodies were filled-up and the ground water table improves, then more than 25,000 acres of land can be irrigated. Also water stored in them could be used during summer,” he said after inaugurating a three-day farmers’ livelihood rights conference. Palaniswami claimed AIADMK gave priority to water management. “Under the ‘kudimaramathu’ scheme, 5,586 water bodies were desilted at a cost of Rs 1,132 crore. But, this DMK government has failed to give priority to farming,” he said.