‘Madurai can become model for watershed development projects’

Madurai has the potential to be a model district for watershed projects in the country, said Ajay Tirkey, secretary, Department of Land Resources, Union Ministry of Rural Development.

The official inspected watershed development programmes at Soorakundu and Kallampatti villages in Melur block in Madurai district. He was accompanied by C. P. Reddy, Commissioner, Department of Land Reforms, New Delhi, and Sudha Devi, Executive Director, Tamil Nadu Watershed Development Agency.

Senior officials from the Agriculture Department explained the salient features of the watershed development programmes taken up over the last few years.

Mr. Tirkey spoke to a beneficiary, A. Chinnasamy at Soorakundu. The farmer said that he had established a farm pond and raised thousands of fishlings and earned ₹60,000 a season. The farmer is cultivating bananas, yam and other produce.

Deputy Director (Micro Irrigation) A. Rani, who was part of the visiting team, said that the watershed development programme comprised water harvesting structure, farm production system and livelihood support system. As a part of the programme, faculty members from Agricultural College and Research Institute conducted workshops for women self-help groups.

Joint Director (Agriculture) Vivekanandam said that the watershed development activities had enabled renovation of ooranis, construction of farm ponds and recharge shafts in and around Melur. The State government had been encouraging farmers to adopt new technologies and offered subsidies for using hand sprayers and other agriculture tools.

As a part of livelihood support system, 11 SHG groups were formed and ₹24,000 was given as revolving fund without interest to them. The self-help group members showed the team bags made of banana fibre, palmyrah fibre, earthenwares and among other items. They said that during marriage season, people placed bulk orders for banana fibre bags and appealed to the officials to give them space in Madurai city for marketing their products.

Another farmer, Balu, said that he had been rearing ducks and growing bananas. He had taken up vermicomposting for which he was provided earthworms from a farm in Vadipatti. “I use vermicompost in my farm and totally avoid fertilizers,” he said.

The watershed development programmes had benefited about about 500 people in the two villages.

During a brief chat with the villagers, Mr. Tirkey said convergence of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act with the watershed programmes and bringing in Agriculture Engineering Department into the fold to benefit small and marginal farmers would be considered.