Brimming Alangulam tank triggers fears of flooding

Madurai: The rising water level of Alangulam tank in Madurai has become a matter of worry for residents living nearby, especially in the wake of heavy rainfall causing havoc to habitations as seen in Wayanad. The tank is full to the brim, but its many outlet channels are clogged by solid waste. They fear that if Madurai also witnesses the global trend of excess rainfall, the northeast monsoon is sure to cause flooding in their neighbourhoods.
The district has recorded 91% more rainfall during the southwest monsoon between June 1 and August 15. The city recorded 236.6 mm of rain during this period, compared to the expected 123 mm. Several residential areas along Kulamangalam Main Road including Seetalakshmi Nagar, Officers Town, Mahatma Gandhi Nagar and Poonga Nagar are at risk due to the increasing water level in the tank. Of critical concern is Mudakathan channel, crucial to diverting water from the tank but has been blocked by waste.

“Although most of the embankment around the tank has been raised, some sections remain lower, causing excess water to overflow into residential areas,” says Saravanan, president of Seethalakshmi Nagar Resident Association. He said no action has been taken to raise the embankment despite lodging complaints for the past two years with local MLA and commercial taxes minister P Moorthy. Saravanan said stagnant water has started damaging homes, with cracks appearing on walls and foundations weakening. Residents have also reported increased incidents of snakes and insects entering their homes due to the waterlogging.
“Most of the channels, including the ones leading to Mudakathan tank, are clogged, preventing water from flowing away from the Alangulam tank,” N Chelladurai, a resident of Poonga Nagar, said. “We’ve informed both the corporation and PWD officials, but they do not believe the situation is alarming,” he added.
M. Abubacker, founder of Neernilaigal Pathukappu Iyakkam, an NGO working on water conservation, said Alangulam tank receives water from Sathiyar dam through Kallandhiri canal. As water inflow has increased, excess water is being released into the Mudakathan tank. “Once that tank fills up, overflow will be directed to Sellur tank, and eventually to Vaigai river if necessary,” he said. However, he said clogging is more severe this year as Alangulam is at the city’s entry point, and water level is higher than in recent years. He blamed local residents too for dumping waste into the tank, which has shrunk its size from 3 hectare to about 1.75-2 hectare.
A senior PWD official said the tank is stable and higher water levels are not solely due to rainfall but because farmers have better water availability this year, leading to excess irrigation water being released into the channels. “We are planning to increase the height of the tank in certain sections near residential areas,” he said. Corporation officials said that a city-wide desilting drive is being planned. Mudakathan channel will be included in the clean-up before monsoon. Preliminary desilting of some outlet channels has already begun, they said.