Kudimaramathu projects carried out over the last three years in the district has fetched desired results with at least 50% of the minor irrigation tanks and ooranis having 30 to 40% of water this summer season, said Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao on Saturday.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said that in the district, the kudimaramathu project has been well utilised by the Water Users' Association and it has also enabled to enhance the crop coverage. Moreover, the storage of water in the tanks and ooranis has facilitated in recharging the water tables.
The district, which has close to 3500 ooranis and 650 PWD tanks, had taken up these waterbodies for rejuvenation under various schemes, including kudimaramathu, Mr. Rao said and added that in 2016-17, they took up 14 tanks under kudimaramathu works and spent ₹10.06 crore, 58 tanks in 2017-18 at ₹29.55 crore, 69 tanks in 2019-20 at ₹ 37.59 crore and now in 2020-21, they have taken up 61 tanks at ₹38.79 crore. In all 141 tanks were benefited and a whopping 30.55 lakh cubic metres of space had been rejuvenated.
The district, which has a normal annual rainfall of 827 mm, recorded 900 mm rainfall last year. This, the Collector said, was good for the district since it happened almost after three years.
Farmers at Alamanendal village in Tiruvadanai Assembly Constituency expressed satisfaction over the progress of the work in the village tank and hoped the kudimaramathu exercise would be completed well on time before the onset of the monsoon.
The Collector said that though chilli was the major crop in the district, many progressive farmers had now ventured into other crops including paddy as tanks had water for irrigation.
The kudimaramathu of tanks and ooranis included removal of bushes, strengthening the bunds, overhauling the shutters and removing encroachments from the waterbodies. An official in the Agriculture department said that Paramakudi, Tiruppulani, and peripheries of Ramanathapuram town had benefited due to the kudimaramathu works. With PWD tanks also showing enhanced storage level, the extent of barren land in the district may become a thing of the past, he hoped.
However, farmers pointed out that those waterbodies not under the maintenance of the PWD, had been left unattended. The Water Users' Association also appealed to the government to take stock of water bodies that had been encroached by influential people.
Cotton farmers
For the first time, despite COVID-19 pandemic, many farmers were able to sell their cotton produce for a fair price as the district administration helped them by creating a platform for the buyers to have a look at the produce.
