The Coimbatore District Administration has sent a Rs. 87 lakh draft proposal for the renovation of Kaushika river, one of the major tributaries of Noyyal river system. The proposal, which was released by District Collector T.N. Hariharan at the District Welfare Committee meeting recently, aims to renovate the degraded river basin.

According to the revenue records, the much degraded river, which originates in Kurduimalai, in Western Ghats, traverses 39kms in Coimbatore and 10 kms in Tirupur districts, before its confluences with Noyyal river near Andipalayam in Tirupur district.

The catchment area of the river spans over four taluks, seven town panchayats and 45 revenue villages and it is a life line for thousands of farmers of the region.

“Due to rapid urbanisation and deforestation carried out the river has come to the present degraded state and renovation measures, if carried out, would help the farming community, who depend on the river for their irrigation needs for many generations” Hariharan said.

“Besides, strengthening of the river bund along its course, construction of new check dams and renovation of old check dams soil erosion prevention measures will be carried out by planting of trees. Also livelihood measures for farmers will be taken up through extension work, training, distribution of solar power pump sets, and farming equipment,” he said.