Vellore Corporation will rejuvenate three irrigation tanks

View of Lake Otteri. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

The Vellore Corporation has completed a plan to rejuvenate three major irrigation reservoirs, including the British-era Otteri Lake, Palavansathu Lake and Velapadi Lake at a cost of ₹50 crore to store excess rainwater during the monsoon.

Officials of the Vellore Corporation, which manages the three water bodies, said regular rain in catchment areas such as Palamathi, Kolavimedu and Naickaneri tribal villages in the Jawadhu Hills in October had gradually raised the water level in these lakes. “These lakes remain a key local source of water for the civic body. Rejuvenation of these lakes will help conserve more rainwater to meet water needs during summer. A detailed report has been sent to the state government for approval before the work begins,” R. Lakshmanan, Commissioner, Vellore Corporation, told The Hindu.

The 92-acre Otteri Lake, which has a depth of around 40 feet, was constructed in 1904 to provide regular water supply to the British troops stationed inside the Vellore Fort. Pipelines and overhead tanks (OHT) were constructed to supply water from the lake to the officers’ quarters inside the spacious fort complex. The lake has a total storage capacity of 19 MLD (million liters per day).

The other two lakes are smaller in area and capacity. The Palavansathu and Velapadi lakes, located downstream of the Otteri lake, cover approximately 30 acres each. In terms of storage capacity, these two lakes have a storage capacity of around 8-9 MLD. “The water in the lakes is used to irrigate agricultural land in nearby villages. The local bodies have borewells around the dams of the lakes to pump water for consumption,” said R. Sabari, a farmer.

Company officials said as part of the rejuvenation, water channels between villages in the surrounding hills and lakes will be de-silted and cleaned. The water channels were built many decades ago to drain excess rainwater from the hills to the plains. The water channels cover a distance of two km. Broken canals on the route will be rebuilt to prevent water seepage during monsoon.

Part of the work also includes the removal of accumulated deposits of mud in the lake. On average, about 45 centimeters of mud is deposited in the lake area every year. Most of the silt deposits are dry vegetation, animal waste, and sand from hills that are washed away during rain.

Rejuvenation of the lakes will help increase the storage capacity by 5.5 MLD. In other words, the additional storage capacity will help cover the needs of at least five departments in the civic association.

Corporation officials said that at present the total water consumption of the civic body is 83 MLD per day. Of this, 63 MLD of water is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Water supply And Drainage Board (TWAD). Rejuvenation of the lakes will help the civic body reduce its dependence on TWAD, especially in summer.

Published – 28 June 2026 05:30 IST