In Tamil Nadu, a long wait to slake the thirst of parched farmlands
The state is facing the worst drought in 140 years. Water resources are becoming depleted, taking a toll on the livelihood of farmers, which is leading to suicides. T E NARASIMHAN & GIREESH BABU report from ground zero
Azhagesan, 36, had been under stress for several days because his paddy field, a piece of leased land in a small village in Tiruvarur district, withered owing to the scorching sun, deficient rain, and dried-up water resources. He was found dead in his field, leaving his three children and their mother in the lurch.
Arogyamary, the mother, is one among hundreds of such widows in the Cauvery delta, which consists of 12 districts with around 1.6 million acres (one acre is 43,560 square feet) of agricultural land, and is mostly an agrarian region.
The government has compensated the families of 82 such deceased farmers, including Azhagesan, says a farmers’ association. It has sanctioned ~3 lakh for their families. However, the number of deaths due to this calamitous situation is around 300, including suicides and those due to heart attacks, the causes of which are failing crops and increasing debt.
This is the first time that both the monsoons have failed in the same year, leaving the farmers traumatised. Till recently, Thanjavur had no record of suicides by farmers even if there was a drop in the production of one or two crops. But in the past few months, 18 farmers have died, and six of them have committed suicide, claims Sami Natarajan, Thanjavur district secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association.
For many of them, the last Kuruvai (short crop during June-September) and Samba (the crop during OctoberJanuary) wilted due to monsoon failure and lack of surface water from the Cauvery. Many who raised the crop abandoned cultivation halfway and used it as cattle fodder since they could not find the water to irrigate the fields, says Arogyamary, a farmer-turneddaily wage worker in Thanjavur.
Farmers who used to cultivate rice in Tamil Nadu and other states have to stand in front of ration shops to get one or two kilos for their own consumption. Agrees Thavamani, who is finding it hard to repay debts, including loans taken against gold. Next: Nature’s fury, man’s folly
Sethurajan, a small farmer, says that the crop now depends on groundwater, drawn from borewells 500-600 feet deep, and at any time the crop might turn bad if the well dries up or throws out sand, damaging the motor pumps. Digging a well requires at least ~1 lakh, and the cost could go above ~3 lakh if the depth of the well is 500 feet.
Farmers in the delta region are buying water for irrigation or deploying gensets because the power generated by transformers fails to provide the energy to run the high-powered motors. Many of them have run up huge debts and are not aware what to do, considering that jobs are shrinking and banks are reluctant to give further loans.
The cost of cultivating an acre of paddy is around ~30,000. If a farmer gets a good harvest and a good price, it could fetch him or her ~60,000 per acre.
Many in the Thanjavur belt are raising a summer crop using groundwater and this could jeopardise the daily life of the people in the region, says S Ranganathan, secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association. Groundwater is the major source of drinking water, while agriculture is expected to rely on surface water.
The additional crop during the summer is a recent trend that started after the region received adequate rain in the past and the water was surplus. However, some farmers are using groundwater for this.
The summer crop is expected to make good the losses on account of the Kuruvai and Samba crops, says Natarajan. The summer crop does not need pesticides or other cares and would give a greater yield, he says.
During the Samba season last year, Karnataka supplied water from September 24 but stopped it by November 20, which affected the crop.
Besides the monsoon, demonetisation and prices also hurt farmers. Demonetisation has affected those who required money to manage their fields in the crucial months of November and December, during the last Samba season, Ranganathan said.
Natarajan says farmers would require at least ~2,200 per quintal of rice, while they are getting ~1,510 per quintal. The pending amount to be received from various sugar mills is around ~600 crore. Small farmers are the first to be hit by any disaster, considering there is no support for them. Those who turned to daily wages for livelihood also suffered because the MGNREGS failed to offer adequate work throughout the days, a daily wage worker says.