Rejuvenating lifeline of farmers

Water is a ‘hot’ subject in the Cauvery heartland of Mandya. Whenever there is drought and demand for water from Tamil Nadu, the whole district literally burns — paralysing normal life even in the neighbouring districts.

However, the canals, the lifeline for farming in the district, lies in a state of neglect. It is a well-known fact that a lot of precious water goes a waste if the system is not in good shape.

Complaints from farmers at the tail end of Visvesvaraya Canal in Maddur and Malavalli taluks that the water fails to reach them has become common.

To educate the public on the need to conserve our system and make judicious use of the natural resource, Parisara Rural Development Society and Government Industrial Training Institute here undertook a drive to clean up the Yathagadalli sub-canal of the eighth distribution canal of the Visvesvarya branch canal on Friday.

There has been a demand from the farmers to renovate the canals and maintain them properly. But, the authorities concerned are yet to take any action.

Over 200 volunteers — including 100 students, employees of the district administration, city municipal council (CMC) and Cauvery Niravari Nigam — armed with gloves, sickles and other implements, cleared all weeds and picked up garbage deposited in the canal.

Mangala Yogish of Parisara said about two tonnes of garbage was collected from the 3-km stretch canal. “The CMC has facilitated the sale of the garbage to Kaveri Plastics Company at the rate of Rs 5 per kg,” he said.

Additional deputy commissioner Shankarappa, assistant commissioner Shantha Hulmani, CMC president M P Arun Kumar, tahsildar B K Mamatha and CMC commissioner Prakash were present on the occasion.