The villagers are protesting against the unregulated suction of mud from the irrigation tank
Residents of Pavoor village form a human chain on the Mangal Koot road to protest the alleged exploitation of the irrigation tank. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Residents formed a human chain on Mangal Koot Road in Pavoor village on Friday to protest unregulated mining of silt from an irrigation tank by private contractors.
Residents said Pavoor village is part of Vembakkam Panchayat union near Cheyyar town. The people of Pavoor and the people of nearby villages depend on the irrigation tank in Pavoor village for cultivation and domestic consumption. “Private contractors and brick kilns continuously lift large quantities of silt from the lake bed. Excessive silt mining could affect its storage capacity during rains,” said R. Veeran, a farmer.
Spread over an area of 25 acres, the Pavoor tank is one of the oldest irrigation tanks in the region. Of the six smaller irrigation reservoirs in the area, the reservoir is the largest facility in terms of storage capacity and area. DRDA officials said the reservoir has an average total storage capacity of 1.07 MLD (million liters per day). .
For farmers, the reservoir helps to irrigate at least 250 acres of agricultural land where paddy, groundnut and banana are grown.
Residents said that water accumulation in the tank decreases in summer. The district administration has allowed minimal extraction of mud from the reservoir. However, private contractors and brick kiln owners are said to extract a large amount of mud every day.
Residents said the continuous flow of vehicles carrying silt from the reservoir has not only affected the water flow but also damaged the civic infrastructure of the village, including roads and water pipes.
Residents said that despite complaints to revenue officials and the local police, no action has been taken to regulate silt mining in the tank. As a result, residents decided to form a human chain to protest the misuse of the irrigation tank.
Revenue officials led by tahsildar (Vembakkam) S. Durai and Dusi police pacified the agitated residents who dispersed after the authorities assured them of the action.
Published – 30 Oct 2026 23:54 IST