TN Govt. gives consent to acquire reserve forest land for construction of small dam at Vellore
The Forest Department has agreed to acquire 38 hectares of forest land in the Arasampattu Reserve for the construction of a small dam across the Koilmalaiyar River, a tributary of the Palar River, at the foothills of the Jawadhu Hills in Vellore.
Forest officials said Arasampattu Reserve Forest (RF) has an area of about 5,400 hectares in the foothills of Jawadhu Hills and covers Odugathur and Vellore forest ranges. Of the 59 hectares of land required for the project, 38 hectares have been cleared. The remaining plots will be acquired from private landowners in the vicinity.
Officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD), which will implement the ₹176.20 crore project, said the forest land acquisition involves two phases. The first phase involves the identification of the desired plot and the alternative plot. According to the norms, twice the required forest land should be provided to the forest department as an alternative site. WRD has identified around 76 hectares of land at Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur for this purpose. The land will be used to plant trees as part of the social forestry program.
In the second phase, the total amount of monetary compensation will be decided. The process is ongoing. Together with the WRD, finance officials organized a public hearing with private landowners on June 19 to acquire 17.55 acres of private land for the project. A separate compensation package for private landowners is also being prepared.
WRD officials said the foundation stone for the project was laid in February. The new small dam has been a long-standing demand of farmers and residents in the region as it is the first facility undertaken by the WRD since the opening of the Mordhana Dam across the Koundinya River in Gudiyatham town in 2001.
The new small dam, financed from the State Fund 2026, will be 310 meters long and 5 meters wide. The total storage capacity of the reservoir will be 74,438 mcft. The dam can reach full capacity at least twice a year. On average, the new dam can release a maximum of 19,912 cusecs of water per second. It will also help feed excess water into five irrigation tanks. Farmers in 14 villages will benefit from the new facility, which will also help cultivate 1,685 acres of agricultural land and recharge groundwater on 684 acres in its vicinity.
Published – 02 Jul 2026 0:18 IST