TIRUPPUR: With scores of trees withering due to lack of water, coconut farmers in seven panchayat villages of Udumalaipet have appealed to the state government to announce compensation.
V Ranjith, a farmer from Sarkarputhur panchayat said, “I have over 160 coconut trees on my farm. The region did not receive any significant rainfall in the last eight months, as a result of which, many wells have dried. I have a 700 feet deep borewell, but even that does not yield water. As a result, around 15 coconut trees have gone completely dry. The life span of these trees is around 40 years, but they are dead in the 15th year. Another farmer near my village lost more than 25 coconut trees.”
S Aruchamy, a farmer in Salaiyur, said, “Trees aged below five years need at least 50 litres of water once in five days. But, water scarcity has hit my farmland. I have more than 140 trees, but lack of water is killing them. I have lost 10 trees in the last three months.”
Many farmers said they bought water to save their trees but in vain. N Subramani, a farmer, said, “I have more than 350 coconut trees. In order to save my trees, I spent Rs 40,000 on water in the past three months. But it was not enough. There aren’t any nuts on the trees. It will take at least one year for the trees to rejuvenate.”
Another farmer, Samugam, said he lost 10 trees and has sold them to timber traders. Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association (Udumalaipet) vice president SR Madhusoodan said, “Coconuts are the primary crops in Udumalaipet and Madathukulam taluks. In the last few months, there is acute water scarcity in the region and several trees have gone dry in Thinnampatti, Erisanampatti, and Vazhavadi villages in Udumalaipet taluk. The government should announce financial assistance to the affected farmers.”
An official from the agriculture department (Tiruppur) said, “There weren’t any rains for the past 10 months and we received low rainfall from the southwest monsoon. As a result, water level in all dams in Western Ghats dropped significantly. Besides, the exact number of coconut trees that have withered isn’t known yet. We will discuss about the farmers’ demand with revenue department. They will have to assess and enumerate the dead trees in the whole region. The government might take a call on compensation after that.”