The rejuvenation of water bodies with people’s participation — kudimaramathu — projects, launched by the State Government two years ago has now turned into a public movement in a few places in Thanjavur district with locals, particularly youth, showing keen interest to implement the project in their areas.
Youth of Kallaperambur near Thanjavur, who were demanding rejuvenation of the big tank that had an area of around 650 acres to hold water, saw an opportunity to utilise the project and rejuvenate the tank as it was the prime source of irrigation for about seven hamlets in the region.
A group of youngsters, including P.Ravichandran of Kallaperambur, mopped up support from ryots in Kallaperambur and six other hamlets having around 2,700 acres of cultivable land, which depends on Kallaperambur big tank for irrigation.
A ‘cultivators forum’ was floated with representatives from each of the seven villages and around ₹8 lakh was mobilised and kept ready in a bank account created in the name of the forum, to be released as beneficiaries contribution under the ‘kudimaramathu’ scheme.
However, due to unforeseen developments in the State’s political sphere, the rejuvenation work fell out of the official’s purview, said Mr. Ravichandran.
“But we are determined to see through our effort and we have obtained permission from officials for carrying out bund restoration works such as weeding out wild growth and strengthening the existing bunds on the east and north sides of the tank as well as creating new bund on the south and west sides of the water body on our own and not under the ‘kudimaramathu scheme’”, he said.
For this purpose, the youngsters have once again mobilised funds and engaged earth movers to clear the wild growth on the existing bunds and planning to deploy additional earth movers to scoop sand from tank bed and using the same for creating bunds on the south and west sides of the tanks.
A plea to earmark the boundary of the water body on south and west sides have already been placed with the concerned authorities with the consent of the residents of the villages situated on the southern and western sides of the tank, he added.
Meanwhile, efforts put in by a group of younger generation in Peravurani for rejuvenation of the 550-acre spread big tank in the area has elicited support from industrialists and others as a forum, The Tail-end Farmers Association, has started receiving financial contributions for the work taken up by Peravurani youth.
Their commitment and perseverance had a positive impact on a group of people in nearby Ottankadu area, with residents deciding to take up rejuvenation of a tank in their area with guidance from the association of Peravurani.
In the meantime, officials empowered to ensure proper upkeep of the water bodies are keeping their fingers crossed on whether to continue to grant permission for such activities as “non-Kudimaramathu” works or not to entertain such requests hereafter.
