A cross-section of farmers’ representatives of Tiruchi on Friday urged the Water Resources Department and the district administration to initiate steps to renovate and clear the silt accumulated on irrigation canals in the district ahead of the monsoon and samba cultivation.
Raising the issue at the monthly farmers’ grievances redressal meet, Koundampatti R. Subramanian, deputy secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, Tiruchi, called for renovation of the New Kattalai High Level Canal (NKHLC) for its entire length. The canal, he said, was in a bad shape at several places with silt accumulation, dilapidated irrigation structures and weakened bunds. Claiming that the canal was not desilted for the last 30 years, he insisted that the renovation of the canal be taken up this year.
The NKHLC runs a distance of about 134 km from Mayanur Kattalai Barrage to Pidari Eri near Thirumalaisamudiram in Thanjavur district, feeding 28 branch canals and 22 supply channels en route. It irrigates 20,622 acres in Tiruchi and Thanjavur districts.
Mr.Subramanian pleaded for desilting all the 17 irrigation canals downstream the Mettur reservoir so that they were able to carry water to their full capacities.
Ayilai Siva.Suriyan, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India, called for desilting of Kodiyalam, Pulivalam, Subbrayanpatti, Kuzhumani Sivankovil, Thachakudi, Vayalur, Maruthandakurichi, Malliyampathu, Koppu-Mudalaipatti Kattuvari and other irrigation and drainage canals in areas irrigated through the Uyyakondan canal before the monsoon. Failure to desilt the canal had caused extensive inundation of paddy and banana fields in these areas during the monsoon last year, he said.
While emphasizing the need for building barrages across the Kollidam and Cauvery rivers to store some extent of the flood discharges from Karnataka, Mr. Suriyan urged the government to execute the Mettur -Sarabanga-Thirumanimuthar-Ayyar canal link scheme, as it would be of immense benefit in the dry belts of Uppilliyapuram, Thuraiyur and Thathaiyengarpet unions.
P. Viswanathan, president, Tamizhaga Eri Mattrum Attru Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam, urged the WRD officials to inspect all irrigation channels in the district and take up appropriate measures ahead of samba cultivation.
The State secretary of Bharthiya Kisan Sangam, N. Veerasekaran, urged the district administration to organise field inspections by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University scientists to suggest remedial measures to farmers whose banana crops have been affected by a root disease in some parts of Lalgudi block in the wake of the recent inundation of the fields due to heavy flood discharge in the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers.
Earlier, Collector M. Pradeep Kumar introduced the toll-free number, 9342912122, for farmers of the district to lodge complaints or seek clarifications on agriculture-related issues.
Published - August 26, 2022 05:47 pm IST
