Farmers of Andhanallur union have urged the district administration to take steps to desilt and renovate the Inam Puliyur tank, which is under the control of the panchayat union.
The tank has been in a poor condition for long, especially after the gravel was removed from the tank for the four-lane project a few years back, said Ayilai Siva.Suriyan, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam. “The depth of the tank is about six to seven feet. But in some parts of the tank, gravel has been removed for a depth of up to 15 to 20 feet. This has left several big pits in the tank,” he alleged.
Although the tank has an inlet pipe from the Kattalai Canal, it is largely a rain-fed tank. The tank had a small extent of ayacut area, but the water storage at the tank had been helping in maintaining the groundwater table in several nearby villages such as Inam Puliyur, Sivantha Nagar, Archampatti, Chinnapanaiyur and Seppalapatti. It enabled farmers take up cultivation with well irrigation.
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As the tank is in a poor shape, farmers were facing hardship. Mr.Siva Suriyan said though about ₹25.80 lakhs is said to have been sanctioned for renovating the tank, the money is planned to be spent to repair a sluice which did not help cultivation and strengthen bunds on the eastern side. It would not be of much use to farmers and prove to be a wasteful expenditure, he contended .
The tank should be renovated by levelling its bed. Besides, a canal should be dug from the Kattalai canal to enable the tank get adequate water. The bunds on the west, north and south sides of the tank should be strengthened, Mr.Siva Suriyan said.
Meanwhile, speaking at the farmers grievances meeting here last week, several farmers urged the administration to take steps to desilt and renovation various irrigation bodies ahead of the monsoon. Collector K.Rajamani directed the Public Works Department to expedite all desilting works sanctioned already and try to complete them by October 15. He assured farmers that he would monitor the execution of the works and ensure that there was no delay.
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He also said that the government has allotted funds for renovation of 60 minor irrigations tanks under the panchayat unions last year and another 60 tanks would be taken up for renovation this year too.
He disclosed that so far about 1.75 lakh cubic metres of silt have been lifted from various tanks under the special permission given by the government for farmers to remove silt from irrigation tanks.