THOOTHUKUDI: The Thamirabharani river was in spate recently causing flooding in the southern districts before emptying into the Gulf of Mannar even as a good number of irrigation ponds and tanks remain bone dry in Thoothukudi district. It is alleged that at least 15,000 cusecs flowed down the Srivaikuntam anaicut and into the sea, unharnessed. Farmers of the drought-prone region are furious that despite abundant rainfall, the water was not properly utilised, blaming the poor water management of officials.
Water is hard to come by in these parts. Drought spells aside, the region faces the depletion of groundwater and saltwater intrusion into available groundwater in the coastal areas. Thamirabharani, the only perennial river originating in Tamil Nadu at Podhigai hills of the Western Ghats, runs for 128km and irrigates 86,107 acres -- 46,107 acres in Thoothukudi and 40,000 acres in Tirunelveli districts.
In the lower riparian Thoothukudi, Thamirabharani feeds 53 system tanks through four main channels, namely the Malakal and Keelakal, branching off from the Marudhu anaicut; and Vadakal and Thenkal from the Srivaikuntam anaicut. It also supplies water to the Sadayaneri channel, a floodwater carrier, that fills 13 ponds in the dry Udangudi block. Sadayaneri’s extension channel also fills one of the biggest tanks Puthantharuvai in parched Sathankulam block. The channels, while carrying water, recharge groundwater resources and meet drinking water needs.
Thoothukudi collector Sandeep Nanduri said as many as 41 tanks had been filled and waters were being discharged into the remaining 12 tanks. However, farmers say that only 25 tanks were filled to full capacity. The problem, they argue, is the inadequate planning to harness surplus waters of the Thamirabharani. Advocate Ram Kumar Adityan raised the issue of poor management of surplus water in a Public Interest Litigation filed before the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court. The court has sought reports from Public Works Department (PWD) officials attached to the Thamirabharani river basin.
Adityan contends that the average annual rainfall for Thoothukudi is 708.8 mm, lower than the state average of 945 mm. The average surplus water availability at Srivaikuntam anaicut between 1932 to 2012 was 13,671 Million cubic feet (Mcft), according to PWD reports filed for seeking environment clearance for the Kannadian surplus water scheme. Adityan charged that the Thoothukudi district administration and the PWD had failed miserably in conserving flood waters in all the irrigation tanks. Over 12,000 cusecs had wastefully drained into the sea, he claimed.
Farmer Rajendran of Nazareth said that the surplus water had not been channelled to the tanks at the right time, and thus a large amount of surplus water was wasted. Since the irrigation tanks are to be filled one after the other, PWD officers should have planned in advance considering the torrential rainfall in the catchment area of Thamirabharani, he said. He worried that even though the flow of surplus water had reduced, waters were being released into the Sadayaneri canal, even as system tanks were dry.
Although the Thamirabharani frequently has surplus water, the issue is that the total capacity of the four main channels branching off from Marudhur and Srivaikuntam anaicuts is only 4000 cusecs. The remaining water has to drain into the sea. “Having channels with minimum flood-carrying capacities, it is very difficult to divert surplus water as the existing system allows us to fill the tanks one after another. It delays water flow into the tanks. It also requires all the tanks to be in good condition as well,” observed Thoothukudi sub-collector MS Prashanth.
However, Adityan said it might be possible to take water to the lower tanks directly from the Thamirabharani. For instance, at present, the three Author tanks adjacent to the Thamirabharani, are bone dry as they come at the end of the Thenkal channel. Channelling water to the Thenkal, that runs parallel to Thamirabharani, at Thenthiruperai would help it get water earlier, he suggested. Speaking to Express, PWD Executive Engineer Swarna Kumar said that the maximum amount of water that the four channels could carry had been diverted to the irrigation ponds. He added that surplus water entering the sea was also good for the health of the marine ecosystem.
Dam management too an issue
Farmers said they had skipped Kar and banana cultivation in June following poor water supply even though water levels in the dams were consistent. “We asked the district administration to release water when the Papanasam dam level was at 114 feet against a total 143 feet in June, as waters are traditionally released on June 1 for irrigation. But they did not consider our demands. If they had, farmers would have cultivated paddy in Kharif season too without wasting the water,” Rajendran said