There has been a scramble among farmers in getting free silt from the tanks and waterbodies in and around Tiruthuraipoondi in Tiruvarur district after special permission was granted by the State government for lifting silt from tanks for agricultural purposes.
A large number of tractor-trailers, could be seen transporting silt along the entire stretch of the East Coast Road on the Tiruthuraipoondi - Pattukottai sector.
Farmers point out that soil erosion had been a big problem in the past owing to floods and the permission given by the government has come as a boon for them. “Uneven fields pose a challenge for both transplanting the nurseries and for irrigating the fields but with the silt we can level the fields and also enrich the soil,” said D. Jayaganapathy, Managing Director of Tiruvarur Farmers’ Producer Company, whose members have so far used silt for an estimated 500 acres of paddy seed fields in Tiruthuraipoondi, Muthupettai and Mannargudi blocks.
He said that floods and stormwater had also caused extensive damage to the bunds.
“We have been using the silt from the tanks for strengthening the bunds too,” he said.
The tank at Gopalasamuthiram village, for instance, has been deepened to its maximum depth.
“The silt available is quite rich in manure and it will enrich the soil,” said Kothandaraman, a farmer of Thillaivilagam.
Thillaivilagam, Devadahanam, Kukalari and Bamani in Tiruthuraipoondi block, Nachikulam, Pinnathur and Edaiyur in Muthupettai block and Sonikulam and Vadapathi in Mannargudi block are some villages where farmers have been vying with one another in filling their fields and strengthening the bunds using this one-time permission.
Tractor problem
Farmers said that non-availability of tractors poses a problem in the current scenario.
Tractor operators charge between ₹300 to ₹500 for transporting a load of silt. “We have to book the tractors well in advance to transport the silt to our fields” said Mr. Jayaganapathy.
