The perennial lake that defines the landscape around Bahour is in peril.
Even now the area abutting the lake is considered as the rice bowl of Puducherry. However, the drying up of the lake at an alarming rate, where one large tract is already parched, will not help in keeping up the tag for long.
The second largest and perhaps, the oldest irrigation lake in the region, is surmised to have been in existence even before the Chola period. The bed of the lake was deepened and the level were raised during the Chola days. The inscriptions of Rashtrakuta King (X Century) in Bahour temple mentioned the lake as ‘Kadamba Eri’ or ‘Periya Eri’- describing the size and the presence of Kadamba trees.
Inscriptions of Rajaraja, explains the tax system in the form of collection of paddy for the maintenance of the lake. ‘Eri Varya Perumakkal,’ a council of elders, was tasked with responsibilities in looking after the maintenance and sharing of the water.
The tank is fed by a feeding channel called ‘Bangara Vayakkal’ which takes off at Sornavur Anaicut on Then Pennai River about 16.8km from the tank. It has a sieve of the calingullah type to let out excess water. A portion of the tank, including the bund and foreshore lies in Tamil Nadu.
According to legend, on hearing famine prevalent in those days in the area, Bangari, a dancer in the area, constructed the canal at her expense while her sister Singari bore the expenses to the raise the lake bunds.
In 1970s the lake served an ayacut of 1,740 hectares (1,664 hectares in Pondicherry and 76 hectare in Tamil Nadu). Paddy, Banana, Sugarcane and crops are grown in the irrigation area.
Now the lake has no water storage.
V. Chandrasekhar, president, Bangaaru Vaickal Neeraadhara Koottamaippu said, “This lake always had good storage of water even during droughts. Now the lake has nil water due to inadequate maintenance of feeder channel such as ‘Bangara Vayakkal’ and other channels. Since 1980s, the silt in the lake was not removed properly.”
The villagers and farmers attribute poor maintenance and non-execution of desilting works to the present status of affairs.
P. Arjunan, a farmer said the silt was only removed in piecemeal manner. We never face such a worst situation what we are facing now. Most areas of the lake which has 4,000 acres remain dry. Feeder channels are not frequently cleared. ”
The main feeder canal ‘Bangara Vayakkal’ is found blocked in several areas and bushes grown inside the canal. Hyacinth spread too spread in larger parts of the canal. The villagers have been using oil-engine pumps to divert the free flow of water to their fields which are located on the sides of canal. It was by encroaching on the entry point of the canal joining the lake that paddy was grown in the area.
T. Geethanathan, General Secretary, Puducherry Agriculturists Association said, as the lake remained dry, the groundwater level has plunged to an all-time low level in the surrounding areas.
