CHENNAI: Farmer Munusamy E has no water to continue cultivating his fields. So now, Munusamy and a dozen other farmers wade into the Kattrankal Eri around six every morning, and catch fish.
Facing a livelihood crisis due to the acute water shortage, a section of farmers in Kattur area of Tiruvallur have become ‘temporary’ fishermen. They make a living catching fish out of a lake that may dry out completely in the next few days. “We want to catch as many fish as possible, before the lake dries up,” says 38-year-old Munusamy, while cleaving plants growing out of the water.
A few days ago, the Kattur Panchayat auctioned the lake for fishing, and local farmers have been hired to catch as many fish as possible over the next 10 days. “This is the first time the lake has dried up,” says M Anand, who got the lake in auction for Rs 20,000. “For decades, the water level here was around 30 feet. Now it’s two feet. Till this time, water from the Eri was used only for farming.”
Fishing in these muddied waters does bring some money. “The average wage paid to these labourers is `700 and 1-kg of fish,” says Anand. Munusamy works for 12 hours a day in the lake, weeding out plants and catching fish.
“We get Viral and Korameenu here,” says Munusamy. “The more we catch, the more our wages. We hope it rains soon. Then, we farmers will not have to work for daily wages. We can go back to cultivating our lands.”
Munusamy, however, does not believe that is going to happen anytime soon. “For the next few days, we are dependent on the fish. If it rains and water fills up in the lake, the fish will move away to other places.”
Fish caught from here are sold in Kasimedu, Royapuram, and Ennore markets. The returns range anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 1 lakh a day. Anand says the money obtained, after wages are paid, is donated for religious activities in the village.