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No water for irrigation in 11 years: Ryots
A section of farmers, dependent on water from the Andiappanur odai reservoir in Vellore district, have alleged that authorities have failed to release water for irrigation in the last 11 years. However, Public Works Department (PWD) officials denied the charge, stating that they have not received any written requests by ayacutdars till date.
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Chennai
This complaint by farmers came to light during the agricultural grievances meeting held in Tirupattur. Built in 2004, the dam located around 22 kilometres from Tirupattur has an officially registered ayacut of 5,025 acres whose farmers mainly raise sugarcane and groundnuts.
When contacted, a senior PWD official told DT Next said the information provided by farmers are totally wrong. Stating that the dam has water to its full capacity of 112.20 mcft, they said, “we can release water only when local ayacutdars request this in writing.
Till date they have not done so. Such a request if received is then forwarded to the government, which then issues a GO for releasing the water.” “Water release GOs are usually issued immediately as any delay can affect crop production later,” the official added.
Asked about the complaint registered by farmers, PWD sources said those who raised the issue are not part of the ayacut. They belong to villages by the side of the reservoir’s distribution channels.
“If they want to be included in the official ayacut they must give the request in writing based on which a feasibility study will be undertaken to see whether the reservoir will be able to support the extra acreage,” the source explained.
Presently, the reservoir provides water to ten villages downstream, which have a total water requirement of around 30 mcft. Other than the ten villages, places like Tirupatthur, Thathavalli, Marapalli, Andiappanur, Kurcilapet and Vadugamuthampatti also receives its water.
The Andiappanur dam along with Mordhana dam near Gudiyattam and Rajathoppu were opened during a previous DMK government, in a bid to ensure that these reservoirs meet the area’s water needs for irrigation.
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