DINDIGUL: You don’t really need to be a devout reader of news to know that Tamil Nadu has been grappling with a water crisis. Even as its urban heart has water-tankers flitting about -- not to mention the sudden spike in awareness about rainwater-harvesting -- day in, day out to help Chennai cope, 430-odd kilometres into the hinterland of the state, even Dindigul is reeling from the crisis.
A few days ago, tonnes of freshwater fish were found dead at Athoor Reservoir, as they couldn’t swim due to its fast-receding water-levels. This, mind you, is the primary source of water for the 12th largest urban conglomeration of TN. That the sight of residents, armed with plastic buckets, picketing roads and descending on government offices has become a common sight here over the past few months further underscores the gravity of the situation in Dindigul.
With all this as a backdrop, it wouldn’t be wrong to think that even the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) bandwagon -- which has rolled into the city for the fourth time and will chug along for a month across three venues, from Friday -- is also going to hit a major roadblock. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that cricket stadia need a lot of water for outfield maintenance.
“We started preparing the outfield at NPR College ground (the venue near Dindigul which will host 15 matches this season) from early May,” is how Dindigul District Cricket Association secretary N Venkatraman, who oversees the ground’s logistics, explains the due diligence that has been done to ensure a hassle-free tournament.
“The ballpark figure for the ground’s water requirement is somewhere above one lakh litres per day. There’s been rain over the last few days, and those sporadic showers help in the nitration of grass. But we have the infrastructure to take care of the overall requirement.”
The infrastructure that Venkatraman is referring to is a sewage treatment plant set up within the college’s premises two years ago. The unit, which is now running on full capacity, is what pumps out enough treated effluents to keep the outfield lush.
“The plant has ensured that we have enough treated water to keep the outfield match-ready this season.”
While this plant takes care of the grass that fielders earn their bread and butter on, another anticipative measure put in place last year has helped them even out the sundries, water-consumption wise.
“We had put in place a rainwater-harvesting structure -- a sump connected via PVC pipes to furrows at the periphery of the outfield, coupled with a 1Kw motor -- for the last season,” elaborates Venkatraman. “The output from that set-up helps us take care of things like supply for washrooms and other peripheral needs.”
The rain gods may not have been kind to Tamil Nadu or Dindigul this time around, but that isn’t going to stop the city’s cricket-starved fans from getting their dose of adrenaline and excitement from Friday onwards, starting with homeboys Dindigul Dragons facing off with Chepauk Super Gillies.