NAGAPATTINAM: The heat wave like condition in the district is not only taking a toll on people but also the fish being reared in inland aqua farms.
In the week alone, aquafarmers have complained that a large of fishes have died and were floating in the water bodies reportedly due to the unbearable heat.
With nearly 600 aqua farmers actively involved in the trade on an estimated area of 200 acres, several fish species namely Rohu, Catla, Mrigal, Common carp, and Grass carp (vernacular name: Kendai) are grown in fresh water ponds across the district particularly near Sirkazhi and Vedaranyam. During October and November, considered ideal for culturing fish seeds, and also with the incessant north east monsoon, farmers carried out stocking of fish seeds extensively.
However, since the first week of April though the normal minimum temperature for Nagapattinam stands at 26.9 degree Celsius, the actual minimum temperature here for the past few days hovered between 29 and 30 degree Celsius. Because of the unprecedented heat, aqua farmers said their stock have died and found afloat in the water bodies.
Speaking to Express, Nel R Jayaraman, state coordinator of Save Our Rice campaign said, “Owing to the excessive rainfall in November and December last year, large number of farmers took up inland aquafarming. With harvest activities scheduled for May, many of the aquafarmers here have reported fish dying due to heat.”
“Even as humans could not bear the soaring mercury levels, fishes can not sustain such temperature deviation,” M Veerasamy, aquafarmer from Panangatankudi near Sirkazhi said.
clamour over canal project
Namakkal: With no hopes for getting water from the Cauvery in Karnataka, the clamour for implementing the Cauvery (Mettur dam)-Sarabanga-Thirumanimuthar Link Canal Scheme has gained traction. The scheme envisaging irrigation for 32,000 acres in four districts was mooted way back in 1954 by a well known Congress leader in western region T M Kaliannan.