Coimbatore: While a section of the farming community have been fighting for long to repair a broken check dam at Kurumbapalayam, citing poor water quality, a farming group has questioned the need for a check dam in the area.
Coimbatore: While a section of the farming community have been fighting for long to repair a broken check dam at Kurumbapalayam, citing poor water quality, a farming group has questioned the need for a check dam in the area.
Claiming that industrial effluents and domestic wastes are being let into the stream leading to the check dam, farmers fear that storing such water could lead to ill effects upon lives in the area. The check dam was constructed a few years ago on the Manjuppallam stream. Water from the stream diverts into two small streams that cross areas including Madukkarai, Sundarapuram, Machampalayam, Kamaraj Nagar and Kurichi Housing Unit before reaching Palakkad in Kerala.
The construction that was built using joint funds from the Government and a private company, was prone to damage because of soil mining that thrived in the area. A year ago, flashfloods damaged the check dam and since it fed more than 100 farmlands in the villages, a plea was made to repair the storage facility. While a majority of the farms plant coconut, crops including corn, maize and banana are also raised in the area.
However, a group of farmers have raised a different complaint claiming that the ground water was being affected because of the storage of dirty water int he check dams. "The dam is not storing clean water. It is filled with wastes from all the villages that it passes through which are then let into the stream directly by officials. This could well spread diseases in the area if the situation continues,” opined a farmer. He further added that while water was very necessary, it was better to have nothing than have something as dirty as what they are getting now.
“We have seen in the cases of Orathupalayam, how stagnant dirty water can affect the environment. We are already seeing the effects on our crops. If this continues, it could be disastrous for the people,” explained another farmer. When Simplicity tried contacting officials in the District administration, they were not available for comment.
Claiming that industrial effluents and domestic wastes are being let into the stream leading to the check dam, farmers fear that storing such water could lead to ill effects upon lives in the area. The check dam was constructed a few years ago on the Manjuppallam stream. Water from the stream diverts into two small streams that cross areas including Madukkarai, Sundarapuram, Machampalayam, Kamaraj Nagar and Kurichi Housing Unit before reaching Palakkad in Kerala.
The construction that was built using joint funds from the Government and a private company, was prone to damage because of soil mining that thrived in the area. A year ago, flashfloods damaged the check dam and since it fed more than 100 farmlands in the villages, a plea was made to repair the storage facility. While a majority of the farms plant coconut, crops including corn, maize and banana are also raised in the area.
However, a group of farmers have raised a different complaint claiming that the ground water was being affected because of the storage of dirty water int he check dams. "The dam is not storing clean water. It is filled with wastes from all the villages that it passes through which are then let into the stream directly by officials. This could well spread diseases in the area if the situation continues,” opined a farmer. He further added that while water was very necessary, it was better to have nothing than have something as dirty as what they are getting now.
“We have seen in the cases of Orathupalayam, how stagnant dirty water can affect the environment. We are already seeing the effects on our crops. If this continues, it could be disastrous for the people,” explained another farmer. When Simplicity tried contacting officials in the District administration, they were not available for comment.