CHENNAI: Distressed by people’s sufferings in southern districts due to famine often caused by failed monsoons, Colonel Pennycuick conceived the idea of diverting Periyar in the Western Ghats towards the east, which made acres of dry land arable, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa recalled in her tribute to the British engineer.Tracing the history behind the construction of Mullaiperiyar reservoir, Jayalalithaa said people in the southern districts solely banked on River Vaigai before the Mullaiperiyar dam was built during the late 19th Century.“In the Vaigai basin region, monsoon failed many a time and people, who were dependent on River Vaigai, were badly hit by severe famine. Pennycuick was deeply distressed at this and came up with the plan of a dam across the Periyar.”Soon, Pennycuick’s proposal was okayed by the colonial rulers and the work began in the presence Governor Lord Connemara. However, the project encountered many hurdles. Threat from wild animals, insects and intense rains, besides floods, hampered the progress. Also, the project did not get funding from the State government during certain times.A determined Pennycuick travelled all the way to England and sold his property to fund the completion of the reservoir. Against all odds, he suceeded and the dam project was completed. It was formally commissioned in 1895.The stored water from the reservoir was diverted to River Vaigai through a tunnel, which irrigates 2.23 lakh acres in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts, Jayalalithaa said.
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