Artificial barriers:The Adyar in Chennai is among the sites in 19 districts where flood protection walls will be constructed as part of disaster management measures.
| Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas J.
The Water Resources Department (WRD) will construct 27 check dams across 13 districts to conserve floodwater and harness groundwater at a cost of ₹206.75 crore, Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources N. Anand announced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday (August 19, 2026).
Replying to the discussion on the Demands for Grants for the WRD, Mr. Anand said one such check dam would be built across Amaravati river near Melapalayam village in Karur.
Similarly, two bed dams would be constructed in districts such as Madurai at a cost of ₹31.50 crore to arrest riverbed erosion and facilitate groundwater recharge, he said.
“We invite MLAs to participate in monthly meetings, along with WRD officials, to discuss issues in their respective constituencies and find immediate solutions,” he said.
Mr. Anand also said a decision on water release from Mettur dam for delta irrigation would soon be taken and that the department was monitoring the increase in storage.
The department would also carry out 96 works to repair, renovate, and restore waterbodies and channels, which are a part of the existing irrigation infrastructure, at a cost of ₹695.42 crore. The works would be executed in 30 districts, including Tiruchi.
As part of efforts to conserve groundwater resources, 1,628 artificial groundwater recharge structures would be installed across 35 districts at a cost of ₹28.9 crore.
The Adyar in Chennai is among the sites covered under 49 works worth ₹218.29 crore to construct flood protection walls as part of disaster management measures in 19 districts. The work near Jaffarkhanpet across the Adyar would be executed at a cost of ₹25 crore.
Restoration of dam infrastructure in 11 districts, including Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Ramanathapuram, at a cost of ₹246. 93 crore, repair of seawalls in north Chennai, and preparation of an impact assessment report to assess the functioning of existing schemes were among the other announcements.
Rural development
Mr. Anand also made 46 announcements under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, including measures for poverty alleviation and rural indebtedness.
He said roads covering 3,200 km under panchayat union and village panchayat jurisdictions would be improved at a cost of ₹1,634 crore.
Moreover, ponds would be created at 10,000 new sites in rural areas, at a cost of ₹650 crore, to improve water resources and irrigation capacity, he said.
The department will also develop a Citizen Participation mobile application for residents to provide feedback on rural development schemes, and launch a Panchayat Development Index to assess the performance of village panchayats.
Restoration of 7,500 km of inlet and irrigation channels in rural areas as well as new check dams and dykes would be taken up.
A sum of ₹300 crore has been allocated to provide basic amenities in 3,000 remote villages across the State. A detailed project for the economic empowerment of transpersons would be implemented at ₹3.17 crore, he added.
Published – August 19, 2026 11:43 pm IST
