The British Coimbatore comprised of regions including Coimbatore, Karur, Tiruppur and Erode.
The British Coimbatore comprised of regions including Coimbatore, Karur, Tiruppur and Erode.
As part of a project sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK, AHRC which is based at Lancaster University a research project titled Digital Innovation in Water Scarcity in Coimbatore, India is currently being done. The project will study the transformation of water bodies and water scarcity in the Coimbatore region from British India to present. The project is being carried out by Shanmugapriya T, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of History, Lancaster University, UK, under the mentorship of Deborah Sutton, Senior Lecturer, Department of History, Lancaster University, UK.
Speaking to SimpliCity about the project, Shanmugha Priya stated, “The aim of our project is to better understand the past and present of these tanks. We have drawn together a large body of texts, on irrigation, revenue, agriculture, that relate to the history of Coimbatore’s water. We aim to integrate these histories with local community understandings and uses of the water bodies and to work with local organisations who are cleaning the tanks and exploring ways of making them meaningful parts of localities.”
As part of the project, the team will also digitized the British South India maps at the National Library of Scotland. These maps are available online for anyone to explore the history of the southern region. maps.nls.uk/india/survey-of-india.
Efforts of NGOs and government for working towards reviving water bodies in Coimbatore to be appreciated
The team who is working on ground zero, has also interacted with local NGOs, writers and farmers in Coimbatore. The field visits allows the team to explore tanks in and around Coimbatore. Shanmugha Priya lauds the efforts put in by the state government, local NGOs like Siruthuli, Osai, Kurunchi Kulum who are taking enormous effect to rejuvenate local ponds and tanks. “Thanks to their work, many of the tanks have been cleaned, some of them have water and some of them are ready to welcome water at any time. Our research has allowed us to identify a few issues which are overlooked in the current water management.
For example, the paths of small canals, channels and streams in the urban and semi-urban places that bring water to the tanks have been blocked either by government roads and concrete streets and the houses built over these water channels. These blocked paths prevent water flow into the tank during the rainy season and subsequently cause flooding in the area. It is then not surprising that some of the tanks are empty,” Shanmugha Priya said.
Dumping of waste in the now barren lands must be stopped at the earliest
Another issue that the team of researchers observed during the field visits is that people are dumping waste in empty tanks ponds. Elaborating on this Shanmugha Priya explains, people dump waste in empty tanks and ponds. It has come to light that the Viraliyur tank, formerly known for a perennial supply of water, that has become a dump for waste from nearby villages. Many ponds and tanks, in and around villages and towns, now function as waste dumping areas. When the research team asked why the general public dumps waste, the team learnt that as the areas were non-functional, the public has converted them into a dump yard.
A section of the public also stated that the tanks were nearby and were public property and so no-one questioned its use as a dumping ground for waste. Corporation provides garbage collection tanks in most of the places but most of the people choose water ponds and tanks as places to dump waste. This kind of attitude should change, stated Shanmugha Priya. The government could fine people who carelessly throw their waste in ponds and tanks. However, attitudes can only really change when local communities begin to see these tanks and ponds as belonging to them and as a potentially important and much needed resource.
Government is working towards clearing encroachments in water bodies
Encroachment is another significant threat to tanks in the urban and semi-urban areas, she added. “Coimbatore Public Works Department Engineer Sivakumar told us that the government is taking severe actions against encroachments and has already rescued some of the banks of tanks from the encroachments. Once again, however, what is needed is for local communities to recognise the importance of the tanks and for people to feel invested in their protection.” Shanmugha Priya said.
Water scarcity continues to be a problem in the modern day
Water scarcity is not new. It has been an issue since British. According to author Elangovan, though the Siruvani and Athikadavu projects, and thousands of bore wells, have attempted to provide water for Coimbatore after British period, these projects cannot keep up with demand. The increasing population, migration to the city, changing agriculture practises, water economic (cane water), groundwater depletion and pollution.
Additionally, India has not introduced energy auditing, so no systematic record exists of changing patterns of water usage, access and availability. Correspondingly, the low-economic people who rely on public tap water are the most affected by water scarcity in Coimbatore.
The Siruvani and Athikadavu projects ensure, to some extent, the supply of water to the Coimbatore district. Karur, which was also part of Coimbatore region during British colonial India, has suffered greater water shortages. Unlike Coimbatore, Karur is less developed in terms of industry and has always been a dry district.
“We visited four historical tanks in the Karur district. The 1300-acre Panjapatti tank was built during the British colonial India in 1837. However, this tank has been dry for 16 years due to climate change and mismanagement. The people of the village formed an organization called Pasumai Boomi Arakkattalai which aims to bring water to the Panjapatti lake. They have approached government officials and politicians but they said all their efforts have been in vain,” Shanmugha Priya said.
“One of the members of the organization told us that, as a result of this pressure, the channels that bring water from P. Udaimpatti to Panjapatti lake have been cleaned, though one of them quite poorly. The maramathu tender for the lake has recently been taken for 1.60 crores. But the work has not begun. The village people expressed their dismay and lost hope in the government in rejuvenating Panjapatti lake. They said that the government has made little effort to bring water to the lake from the Cauvery which was the plan proposed during Kamarajar period,” addedShanmugha Priya.
Combination of climate change and mismanagement of resources have turned many tanks in to waste land
The Velliyanai is a very old water tank built 1200 years ago. It has been dry for 10 years. The Mavuthur and Udayampatiperiyakulam are also very old though no record survives that records their creation. They have also been dry for a number of years. The lack of rain due to climate change and water paths blocked by weeds, wastages and muds prevent water flow to these tanks.
The combination of climate change and mismanagement of resources have turned these tanks in to waste land, barely recognisable as parts of what was once a functioning water system. Water scarcity is a common issue in these areas. The village people said that people are leaving their villages and looking for jobs in the urban and semi-urban places as they no longer continue agriculture without water.
Historical tanks were an important part of ecosystem of cities and villages in the past
Historical tanks were once an important ecosystem of the villages that surrounded these tanks. This ecosystem supported diverse livelihoods such as plants, animals and humans which now sounded as utopia for the village people. Environmental activists expressed the concern about the concrete plaster that has been added inside some of the tanks in Coimbatore. These linings affect the ecosystem such as birds and other small animals that depend on the water tank.
Writer Murgavel also informed of the disappearance of the Otter (Neernai) which once lived in the tanks of Coimbatore due to the urbanization of the city. The size of the Panjapatti tank looks like a fish on the historical map and satellite imagery.
“During our meeting with the local people, they said that agriculture was flourishing in these places a long time ago. They told us that the abundance of fishes was once available and people from surrounding villages visited this tank for fishes. Mavuthur village people told us they could find the river fish in the tank as the overflowing Mavuthur tank water finally reached Cauvery,” Shanmugha Priya said. Similarly, the other historical tanks were pivotal sources for drinking water, irrigation, home to various species including fishes, birds and other insects. Overall, the observations from the field visits inform us that the water scarcity is a challenging one owing to various issues as discussed above. If it is overlooked further, it will affect the sustainable lives of the people of Coimbatore.