PALAKKAD: Mozhiyath Musthafa, 40, cultivates vegetables and paddy on one-and-a-half acres. Farmers of his ilk do not sweat it out on their land but inside the Bharathapuzha in summer which is a no-man’s land and reap a rich harvest.
The edges of Bharathapuzha provide a perfect patch for cultivating vegetables. The farmers water these crops with pots and cans. Some use diesel motors. ‘‘The edges of the Bharathapuzha are marshy areas and the slushy surfaces help in early blooming of flowers and vegetables. There is no dispute among the users as there are large untapped areas on the river bed. However, one can work and irrigate the crops only for a few hours after dawn and in the evenings as the scorching summer will drive you away from 10 am to 4.30 pm.
The krishi bhavan does not provide any subsidy or assistance as the farmers do not have tax receipts or possession certificates,’’ says Joseph John, agriculture officer of Aanakara Krishi Bhavan.
“The dying of the Bharathapuzha is amply reflected with increasing areas being brought under crops. Bharathapuzha, a source of potable water in the three districts of Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram, cuts a sorry figure in summer as it is reduced to a trickle. But the flow from the Silent valley into the Kunthipuzha and onwards to the Thoothapuzha, tributaries of the Bharathapuzha during summer showers results in the availability of water in Thrithala.
This is made use of by the farmers. However, if they use chemical fertilisers and pesticides, it could pollute the water which is used for drinking by both the Guruvayur and Ponnani municipalities,’’ says P S Panicker, secretary of Jana Jagratha, and an environmentalist.
“I have been cultivating vegetables on Bharathapuzha in summer near the Kuttipuram Government High School for decades. However, this is the first time, I have taken to paddy farming. It is ready for harvest. I didn’t need fertilisers as the slush beneath the riverbed adds to the fertility.
“The large flies in the river eat the pests in the crop. I cultivate cucumber, bottle gourd (churakka), pumpkin, ash gourd, snake gourd, tomato, green gram dhal and Bengal gram dhal. Watermelon is cultivated secretly as there is the likelihood of the public stealing it,” says farmer Mozhiyath Mustafa.
“This time I began cultivation in December as the river went dry early. Unlike Palakkad, Ottappalam and Shoranur, Nila which is fed by Thoothapuzha does get flow from summer rain in Silent valley and Mannarkad and it is used to water our crops. We do not own any agri land. So, we began cultivating vegetables on the river bed.
“As owners of paddy fields resort to reclaiming them and building concrete structures, the absence of lease rent and fertility of the soil on the river
bed have made us toil and get returns. During the monsoon,’’ says Musthafa.