Farm ponds have come to the rescue of farmers in Marungapuri block in irrigating their fields . The union has as many as 49 village panchayats and the number of farm ponds being set up is continuously on the rise.
A number of farmers have benefited through the farm pond scheme and most of them have raised paddy utilising the water realised during the last monsoon. M.Natarajan, a farmer, said the improvement in groundwater level due to the percolation of water was one of the major benefits of the pond set up in his field during 2013-14.
“Utilising the water realised on an area of 400 square metres, I could harvest 80 bags of paddy by irrigating about 2.5 acres of land,” he said. Timely rain during the last season has also, to some extent, benefited the crop.
Apart from raising paddy, he has also been using the pond for rearing fish. “It gives them an additional source of income,” says T.V.Manoharan, Block Development Officer, Marungapuri.
The official said the union accounted for the most number of village panchayats in the district. The soil is suited for setting up farm ponds. So far, 182 farm ponds have been set up at an estimate of Rs.1.23 crore.
While about 100 of them have been set up at individual farms, the others were on panchayat lands. All these works have been executed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme,” he said. According to Agriculture Department officials, each pond could irrigate about two acres and about 200 acres have been covered so far.
While the average rainfall of Marungapuri block was 917.6 mm, it received 396.5 mm in 2013, and 623.10 mm in 2014.
Mr. Manoharan said that plans were afoot for setting up about 60 more farm ponds in the block during 2015-16. Major village panchayats where the farm ponds have been set up include Alampatti, Thethur, Usilampatti, Thalampadi, Sevalpatti, Maniyamkurichi, and Malampatti.
