Tittakudi’s Wellington reservoir rehabilitation work gathers pace

The rehabilitation of Wellington reservoir in Tittakudi taluk, Cuddalore district, India, is progressing rapidly. The ₹130 crore project includes strengthening the reservoir bund, improving the main canal, and reconstructing the century-old surplus regulator. Over 60% of the work has been completed, with the remaining tasks expected to be finished within the next three months.

Wellington reservoir, built in 1923, is situated at Keelacheruvai village in Tittakudi taluk and irrigates 9,737 hectares or 24,059 acres of land, benefiting 63 villages in Tittakudi and Vriddhachalam taluks. The reservoir has faced recurring distress due to subsurface conditions and soil characteristics, leading to erosion during every monsoon.

In 1996 and 2010, repairs were made at a cost of ₹5 crore and ₹29.71 crore, respectively. However, the main canal's banks have been damaged during monsoons, causing the side slopes to collapse inward and obstructing water flow. This has resulted in occasional breaches, flooding nearby farmlands, and preventing full supply of irrigated water to tail-end areas.

To address these issues, the WRD proposed rehabilitation and strengthening of the earthen bund along with improvements to the main canal. The WRD has adopted a new technology, constructing a concrete wall up to 11 feet deep and pouring liquid concrete to prevent water seepage. Additionally, the existing surplus gates, each three meters wide, are being widened to eight meters to enable water release at a rate of 32,000 cubic feet per second.

A 900-meter-long concrete wall is also being built along the water drainage channels to ensure the dam's safety for the next 100 years.