Farmers in the eastern part of the municipality are reeling under acute water shortage both for drinking and for agriculture purpose. Several irrigation projects commissioned for water supply are stuck in a rut owing to lack of timely maintenance work. The farmers of Perumbavoor, Piravom and Muvattupuzha are a worried lot.
Perumbavoor is one of the areas where farmers are adversely affected by the water crisis. The unavailability of water in canals under the Periyar Valley Irrigation Project has aggravated the problem. Meembara and Chooramudi in Perumbavoor have over 50 acres of paddy fields and the farmers in the area depend mainly on irrigation water for their cultivation. It is learnt that the problem arose as the maintenance work was not done in time. Even though the farmers cleaned the canal by removing waste and silt from it, the authorities with the Irrigation Department are yet to distribute water regularly.
According to the farmers, the crops should be watered at least twice a week, otherwise they would wither.
According to P K Soman, state committee member, Karshakasangam, the farmers in the area depend mainly on the Periyar Valley Irrigation Project for water for cultivation. Most areas are not getting water owing to the leakage in the canal and unavailability of water in the canal. Had the canal been repaired in time, the problem could have been solved, he said.
He further demanded immediate release of the required water into the canals.
In Muvattupuzha, the failure of the Anakuzhi Lift Irrigation Project, aimed at irrigating the paddy fields in Paingottoor panchayat where over 50 acres of paddy field directly depend on irrigation water, is a clear example of lack of planning and coordination among government departments. With the failure of the project, the farmers are reeling under water shortage and worrying about the losses they may have to face.
According to the farmers, lakhs of rupees have gone down the drain, without any benefit to the farmers in the area as the project has completed 20 years after it commissioning.
The project was launched by the Water Resource Department in the state in an effort to solve water scarcity for paddy cropping in Chathamattam, Ottakkandam areas in the Paingottoor panchayat. Yet another project, the Cheranalloor Lift Irrigation project, is also of no use as there there is leakage at the canal bund.