Encroachments along streams in Ketti valley flood farmlands and roads, allege Nilgiris residents

Encroachments along streams in the Ketti Valley is leading to localized flooding events during spells of heavy rain. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Encroachments along two streams that lead into the Kattery Dam is leading to localised flooding events near villages in the Ketti valley, allege residents.

The encroachments, being carried out by farm owners in the area, has led to the two streams, originating from Adhigaratti and Gandhipettai, becoming extremely narrow in certain sections of its course.

C. Subramani, Councillor of Ward 7 in Adhigaratti town panchayat, said that the stream course has been narrowed to less than 10-feet in width in certain sections. “In places where it should be between 30 and 50-feet in width, it has been reduced to 10-15 feet due to people dumping sand and mud along the banks of the stream in order to increase the size of their land parcels,” said Mr. Subramani, who added that he had submitted a complaint about the issue to the Nilgiris district collector in the past.

The two streams are part of a system that feeds the Kateri hydroelectric system, one of the first reservoirs constructed in the Nilgiris, dating back to 1902. The reservoir, known as Kattery Dam, still supplies water to the Cordite factory in Aravankadu.

Local residents state that aside from the stream being encroached by the farmers, iron bridges have also been built across the stream in various parts. “All of these encroachments together lead to localised flooding events, which affect not just the farms, whose owners are culpable for encroaching on the stream, but also smaller farmers in the area, whose fields too get flooded even during minor rain storms,” alleged a resident.

Residents stated that the flooding around the river also sometimes inundates the roads leading to villages in the Ketti valley, with soil and rainwater. They have urged the revenue department to take steps to remove the encroachments and increase the width of the river wherever it narrows and leads to flooding.

When contacted, a top official from the revenue department in-charge of Coonoor taluk, said that the issue had not been brought to their notice so far, and promised to look into solutions.