The Madhanam tank off
Trichy-Ariyalur main road is brimming with water— it is a heartening sight for
locals after three decades. Over the years, due to heavy silt, the Peruvalai
feeder channel that brings water to the tank from river Cauvery had become
almost invisible. But, thanks to Kudimaramath, Tamil Nadu's ambitious project
to restore water bodies with people’s participation, the community hopes to
irrigate some 208 hectares of ayacut in the region without depending much on
deep borewells in the otherwise dry area.
While opposition brands it a
scam, Kudimaramath, has come as a relief, especially at a time when Tamil Nadu
is battling droughts and legal battles for water with its neighbours.
It all started in May. As
part of the scheme, ‘ayacutdars’ (local farmers), living in the vicinity of
defunct tanks were identified by the public works department that was looking
for nominees to carry out the restoration. Among the water users in the area
one farmer was chosen as a nominee and the schedule was laid out — the 1.8 km
long Peruvalai feeder channel would be desilted first and later the tank bund
strengthened after silt was removed from the bed. The cost worked out to ₹14.47 lakh and the chosen ayacutdar removed
19,723 cubic metres silt using machinery. The 48.5 acre tank is
today a rich source for 10 water-starved villages in Lalgudi taluk after the
recent spell of rain.
Poovalur former president K
Ashokraj said, “We have enough water to irrigate our paddy and sugarcane crops
for two more months. Our neighbours from Vellanur, Irudhayapuram and Alampakkam
are also being benefitted by the tank.” The level of groundwater table that had
dropped due to heavy use of borewells, is recharging now, with officials
estimating 65,100 cubic feet of available water in the tank.
Far away, a feeder channel
of Paganur tank near Srirangam got a facelift due to the contribution of
farmers. A damaged sluice has also been repaired. “The tank should be desilted
immediately,” Y Arockiasamy, of Yagappa Udaiyanpatti said. Paganur, Suriyur Big
Tank, Ootathur, Veeramachanpatti, Serkudi and Soorampatti tanks in Ariyar
division may soon be restored too.
In ancient times,
Kudimaramath, the maintenance of water bodies, was carried out by the public.
The system was widely practiced with farmers taking charge of construction,
repair of the revival of this system, the state government sanctioned ₹100 crore during the last fiscal. About 10% of
the estimated cost of the work is being borne by the user association or
ayacutdars, in the form of labour, material or cash.
“With 1,513 projects being
completed in the first phase, the storage in these tanks increased due to
excavation of earth from the bed and strengthening of the tank bund. The supply
channels are being cleared of debris and free flow of water is being ensured
for efficient irrigation. We will launch our second phase soon,” said PWD,
water resources department, engineer-in-chief, M Bakthavathsalam. The second
phase covers 2,065 tanks.
There is an imperative need
for restoration of water bodies in the state. A study conducted by several
central and state government agencies and Central Water Commission in 2013 on
effective utilisation of northeast monsoon, said the deficit in total water
demand (domestic, irrigation, livestock and industrial needs) would rise to 17%
by 2045 from the existing 11%.
The developments help to
prevent flooding of adjoining parcels of land during rain, but the opposition
to the initiative is far from happy. While chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami
has been taking credit for rolling out the scheme, DMK alleges corrupt
practices and seeks a white paper on Kudimaramath.
