Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Monsoon has some cheer for the `land of tanks'

By Our Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI NOV. 11. Many of the 5,000-odd tanks in Pudukottai district, ``land of tanks'', have received some appreciable inflows with the onset of the northeast monsoon, encouraging farmers to go for samba cultivation.

Till a couple of months ago, almost all tanks remained dry owing to drought-like conditions. The district received 186.2 mm of rain during October against the normal 276.3 mm. With rains continuing, farmers hope for an improvement in the situation.

According to the Agriculture department officials, out of 168 tanks in the Cauvery-Mettur Project (CMP) areas of the district, 25 have supply for two months, while the storage in the rest is expected to last a month. Out of 5,091 tanks in the non-CMP areas, 97 have water for two months, while the storage in 625 others is expected to last a month. The remaining 4,600-odd tanks hold water for at least about 15 days.

This inflow has helped farmers, who left their land fallow for the past couple of seasons, to take up cultivation now with confidence. Arumugam, a small farmer of Kalamavur, is one of them who now see a ray of hope. The storage in the village tank has encouraged his ilk to resume cultivation. If the storage does not sustain, he will pump water from a private well, some 200 metres away. Though he will have to shell out Rs. 50 an hour for such an option and raise a loan, he is prepared to take the risk. ``What else can we do? Can farmers ever really be free of debts?''

For the district administration, the ``sharp fall'' in the number of petitions received at weekly grievance day meetings is by itself a good augury. This shows farmers and agriculture labourers are busy with work, says the Collector, Hiteshkumar Makwana.

``Drought-proofing'' works executed over the past year have paid off. Desilting of the tanks and inlet channels helped a good deal, he says. Work on desilting tanks, `ooranies', supply channels and temple tanks has been executed under various schemes at an estimated cost of Rs. 4.30 crores.

The Agriculture department has established 909 farm ponds, while the District Rural Development Agency set up an additional 325 farm ponds.

Under the Food-for-Work programme, 58 supply channels and feeder tanks in the Grand Anaicut canal area and 22 in the South Vellar division have been desilted. In addition, the Public Works department has executed 86 desilting works, including 20 tanks in the GA canal areas and 51 in the South Vellar division, at a total cost of Rs. 4.39 crores.

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