

ERODE: K Perumal a 50-year-old farmer near Erode town has to resort to desperate measures to save his rose farm. Every day, he travels to Kalingarayan Canal to collect sewage water which he uses to irrigate his farm. Due to the feeble rains, there is not enough water in the canals he says, so he has no other go but to depend on the sewage water.

"Though some of us have motor pumps, we hardly have power, so they are not of much use," he says. Farmers of the region say that collective loss due to lack of rains is more than Rs 100cr. V N Velayuthan, another farmer in the area says that he is at least lucky to live close to the Kalingarayan canal where he can draw sewage water. Those who live far away, don't have this option, he said.

In the past, farmers did not suffer much because the rains were regular. But his year, only sewage water flows through the canals, said a farmer. "From Bhavani Sagar to Kodumudi there are more than 15,000 acres of agricultural land. From paddy to sugarcane, turmeric and bananas, several crops and products are being produced in these areas. Farmers in this region are suffering due to the lack of adequate rains," he said. There is no water for more than 6,000 acres in the region, he said.

Many of them are trying to make use of the meager water available in bore wells and others. The power crises makes it worse for the farmers. N Ravi who grows banana and ginger near Aanamadu says that due to the power shortage, many farmers have started using diesel pumps to bring water to the fields. However, the increasing cost of diesel is a concern. "One litre of diesel costs Rs 50 and we need 10 litres of diesel to irrigate one acre of land a day. Therefore we use it only once in three days," he said. They say that the use of sewage water is affecting the health of the crops. Velayuthan says that water from Bhavani Sagar must be released. "There is around 43 feet of water in the Bhavani Sagar Dam. If that is released, it will help the farmers to a great extent," he said. Water could also be released from some of the dams in Nilgiris, he added.

When TOI contacted PWD Minister K V Ramalingam he said the government would take adequate steps to bring water to the region. "We have requested the release of water to the region from some of the dams in Ooty. This will reach the area in a few days," he said.

