ANDIPATTI
Farmers at Maravapatti, Kothaluthu and nearby villages hope that they would once again raise short-term crops, including maize, cotton and vegetables, after a gap of one and a half decades, thanks to the commencement of restoration work in Adhikaripatti tank which once irrigated 30 hectares.
Public Works Department has undertaken the restoration work under ‘Kudimaramathu’ scheme to rehabilitate the tank at an estimated cost of ₹10 lakh. On completion of the project, 1,000 wells at several villages will be recharged and 30 hectares brought under irrigation. Farmers have contributed 10% of the project cost.
Sprawling over 100 acres, the tank had surplussed in 2001. The farmers under its ayacut had raised maize, vegetables, cotton and other short-terms crops successfully. Storage was sufficient to meet the irrigation needs for the next three years. But storage started dwindling in subsequent years owing failure of monsoon, accumulation of silt and destruction of supply channels. With no water in the tank, the farmers had been struggling to raise even single crop, said Subburaj, farmer at Maravapatti.
Irrigated lands slowly turned rain-fed lands. Now, the rain decided the fate of the farmers. “We could raise only thur dhal. Agricultural activities came to a halt for the past two years. Drinking water crisis too has been haunting us. Rehabilitation of this tank will restore agricultural activities,” said S. Chandran, another farmer.
Briefing media persons here on Tuesday, Collector N. Venkatachalam said work on restoration of 13 tanks commenced simultaneously at an estimated cost of ₹58.5 crore. A total of 286.2 hectares of land would benefit by the move.
The PWD would remove seemai karuvelam plants in tanks and supply channels, remove silt and strengthen bunds, he added.
Meanwhile, ayacutdhars demanded construction of retention walls near weak bunds to prevent possible breaches and a ground-level bridge over the supply channel.
The Collector said fund allotment was sufficient only for rehabilitation of tanks. In the next phase, the farmers’ demands would be fulfilled, he assured.
Later, Mr. Venktachalam inspected restoration work being executed in Baluserry tank at Jangalpatti, Ambasamudram tank at Govindhanagaram, Balakrishnapuram tank at Koduvilarpatti in Andipatti and other tanks in Chinnamanur and Uthamapalayam blocks.
