With waters reaching their fields, farmers in and around Lalgudi block have started widening their channels which got choked due to the continued non-availability of irrigation waters nearly for the past one year.
According to the farmers, the release of water was timely as they will be facilitated to raise the ‘samba’ crop. A cross section of ayacutdars of Peruvali Vaikkal, one of the major channels through which water is released for irrigation in the district, feel that any delay in the release of waters would have forced them to skip the ‘samba’ or resort to late ‘samba’ process.
They wanted that the waters should be released on an assured basis.
One of the farmers, P. Sampath Kumar, said that the availability of waters had raised the farmers’ hopes who were only now encouraged to take up agricultural activity.
They said that the supply channels were so narrow that even the available waters did not reach their fields.
“We engage a number of agricultural labourers to widen the channels so that we will be able to get the most of the waters,” they said.
86,200 acres
According to official sources, about 86,200 acres need to be irrigated through the Cauvery waters from Thottiyam to Lalgudi. “We are advising farmers to ensure optimum utilisation of available water without any wastage,” the source told The Hindu on Sunday.
