Irrigation water is a basic input in the life of farmers. In Tamil Nadu 50 years ago the well water which was available at a depth of 30 to 60 feet, has now gone to a depth of 500 to 1200 feet. Lack of water is the primary reason for farmers to give up their business. In 75 per cent areas of the state, the groundwater level has moved to the red (danger) list.
One of the many complaints is that ‘free electricity makes the farmer absorb too much water’. That is not true; Only farmers know that overwatering can affect yields; Complainers don’t know.
This fact is partly explained by looking at the water requirement and management of important crops grown in the state. Rice (2850 liters per kg of water), Maize (1937 L), Banana (415 L), Turmeric (1556 L), Sugarcane (159 L), Vegetable crops (average 100-10000 L), Coconut (2285 L), Cotton ( 3644 L), Coffee Nut (14500 L).
Micro irrigation
It includes cultivation of paddy, banana, turmeric, maize (except rainfed) on Nansey land irrigated by rivers and canals. Coffee is the most cultivated crop in our state. In Bunsei land, sugarcane, vegetable and coconut cultivation have been converted to micro-irrigation over the years.
Farmers have also been trying their part to reduce water use by using mulch, planned intercropping and coir blanket. 60 years ago, rice, banana, turmeric, cotton and sugarcane, which were widely cultivated in Bunsei lands, are now only available in a handful of areas. So it can be said with certainty that groundwater abstraction for agriculture has decreased.
But the groundwater level does not stop there. The reason for this is that the rainwater does not go into the ground water. The main reason for this problem is the encroachment of streams, rivers, ponds, ponds, waterways and the cessation of groundwater recharge in them.
Mysterious tributaries
The condition of the rivers that enriched our soil has now become very pathetic. Small tributaries, streams and ditches disappear into the rift between public works and local bodies. How painful is it that waterways and buildings are not known to the urban planning and registration departments?
In Coimbatore, the number of streams lost in Noyal, Sanganur and Kausika rivers is more than 100. It is visible that the sand wealth of the rivers has been excavated without measure, the protective banks have been dug up, all kinds of rubbish has been dumped on the surface and the occasional tappers have been subdued.
Sources of underground water such as ponds built by the village ancestors, beauty features, ecological systems; The government has also forgotten that the foundation of irrigation; People have forgotten.
In ancient times, when there were no telecommunication facilities and annual audits, those richly maintained estates have now turned into dumping grounds for poultry, medical and industrial wastes without even a foot dust.
Can’t the Tamil Nadu Protection of Public Property (Damage and Prevention) Act, which is used to save the paintings on the flyover, prevent this injustice?
Water soluble waste
Millions of families use chemical soaps, various liquids, and 6 lakh tons of waste every year gets mixed with water in some way. Is that poison, in some way, seeking us out? Are the products produced by that watering also toxic?
The provisions of the Water Acts and the Pollution Control Boards of the Central and State Governments are silent. There is no one to control those who pollute the water in various ways without hesitation; The polluters have no intention of changing their minds. Everyone should come up with ideas to improve the quality of water that has gone underground.
Let the Israeli legal practice that it is a crime to pick a leaf and a flower from the street and to pollute the running water begin here too!
G. Ranganathan