TIRUPATTUR: Around two months ago, the district administration of Tirupattur commenced a door-to-door awareness campaign about the Farm Pond scheme, an environmentally conscious effort to conserve rainwater, plants, and other species.
Within a span of 30 days, 1,556 farm ponds were constructed under this scheme, entirely through the effort of workers covered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Through this achievement, Tirupattur has surpassed Tiruvannamalai which set a world record in the same category in 2021 with 1,121 ponds to its credit. Teams from USA-based Elite World Records, the UAE-based Asian Records Academy, Indian Records Academy, and Tamizhan Book of Records have scheduled to inspect the site in the next two days.
During the initial campaigns, officials encouraged interested individuals with patta land to register for farm ponds, with eligibility being limited to members of MGNREGA. Officials said both individual and community land have been used for building these ponds. The entire project was completed by the unskilled labourers under MGNREGA.
Tirupattur collector D Baskara Pandian said, "The foremost objective of this project is to boost the groundwater level in Tirupattur, as it has limited access to rivers or lakes. The implementation of a farm pond is intended to contribute to the rise in groundwater levels. Simultaneously, the initiative aims to create employment opportunities for rural communities through MGNREGA, thereby fostering economic growth among the rural populace."
Additionally, the scheme intends to protect the local flora and fauna, thereby encouraging and enhancing agricultural practices. These ponds serve as reservoirs during the rainy season, allowing farmers to store water for irrigation during the summer season. These also help to prevent soil erosion during heavy rainfall. The farm ponds will serve as ideal locations for fish farming, offering farmers an opportunity to diversify their agricultural businesses.
Selvarasu, the project director of DRDA said the construction of each farm pond necessitated around 665 man-days of labour. Each worker involved in the project received a daily salary of Rs 294. The MGNREGA allocated an estimated fund of Rs 2 lakh for each farm pond to compensate the workers. The project's expeditious execution was primarily driven by the impending north-east monsoon, with heavy rainfall predicted in the region.
The collector said, "Each farm pond has a capacity to collect up to two lakh litres of rainwater. However, the actual quantity of water stored depends on the amount of rainfall received in the region." He shared hope that the achievement will get the district's name into the world records.