After a long wait, farmers in the tail-end areas of Kilvelur, Killukudi, Pattamangalam, and Sottalvannam villages in the district are now in the process of desilting a branch canal to a length of seven km, at their own expense, to ensure availability of water for paddy cultivation in about 3,000 acres where they have already undertaken direct sowing as per the advice of the Agriculture Department.
Farmers in these villages are apprehensive since delay in flow of water in the canal fed by Odambokki, a tributary of the Vettar, will lead to withering of the sprouts.
“We have been trying in vain for many years to get the branch canal desilted through the Public Works Department,” S.R. Tamil Selvan, who has mobilised the farmers in the cluster of villages to deepen the branch canal by two to three feet, said.
“Clearing of silt and shrubs in the canal with earth movers has been completed to a stretch of five km over the last few days. We are hopeful of finishing off the remaining two km in the next two to three days,” Mr. Tamil Selvan said.
Delay in flow of water will lead to late harvest, which, in turn, will hamper the schedule of thaladi crop.
“After a gap of eight years, we have hopes of completing two crop cycles this time,” Mr. Tamil Selvan said.
Though it is a week since water was released into the Vennar, there are no signs of water reaching the Vettar, its tributary, so far, he added.
According to a PWD official, water will reach the branch canals in the tail-end areas of the delta region within the next two days.
