Saving rainwater best solution: Ryots

While the delay in release of water from Karnataka and its present stand of releasing water further to Tamil Nadu affects the farmers, the state government should fight for the share of water and at the same time establish schemes and projects to maintain and desilt the water bodies, they urged. 

The farmers said that there are as many as 39,200 water bodies in the state and if the rainwater from the monsoon was harvested and maintained properly, they can manage the water needs of nearly three years. 

According to the farmers, there were once 49,200 waterbodies across the state among which 10,000 were used for various other purposes but the remaining 39,200 waterbodies including lakes and ponds are left abandoned without proper schemes to renovate or desilt them leading to the water crisis in the state. 

Reacting strongly to the way Karnataka is handling the Cauvery issue, the farmers said this is a mere act of deception. “Instead of looking at the life of the people in Tamil Nadu, both Centre and Karnataka government have been playing politics over the water,” claimed Ayilai Siva Suriyan, district secretary of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam. 

Though the farmers were bitter with Karnataka’s acts, they feel that the Tamil Nadu government has to learn a lot from the state in efficient water management. 

They said that the monsoon rain is enough for the entire delta if it was stored properly as Karnataka has been claimed to be doing in their recently established waterbodies. They suck the water out of the dams with 2000 HP powered motor pumps and store them for their cultivation purpose. They use around 60 such motors for the benefit of their farmers. 

“Similar projects should be undertaken by the Tamil Nadu government. Because, last year, we could store around 1.50 TMC water in Mayanur barrage in Karur and similar construction of barrages across the delta region would benefit the farmers during water shortages,” said Siva Suriyan. 

Though recently, the state government announced construction of 16 minor barrages in the delta region and sanctioned Rs 20 crore which was disclosed by a senior PWD official, it has not served any purpose the farmers said. “Instead of constructing the barrages in a manner useful to the farmers, the PWD had built them across wild rivers that will be never useful for cultivation purposes,” Siva Suriyan said. 

With this fund the government can undertake the maintenance and desilting works in the existing ponds so that they can be used for harvesting the rainwater from this monsoon at least. The farmers calculated that each pond supply water for around 700 to 1500 irrigation wells based on its size. And each well can irrigate to an area of 12,000 acre.