Farmers from Theni district are sounding really worried now,and honestly,it is not hard to understand why . When water itself becomes uncertain,farming becomes gamble only,not livelihood.
At grievance redress meeting held at Collectorate,presided over by Collector R. Vaithinathan,farmers raised serious concern about urgent need to desilt Vaigai dam . Their main point was simple: rainfall has not been enough,and because of that,irrigating crops has become very difficult .
And this is not small issue ah. Farmers said they are facing acute water shortages,which directly affects crops,income and daily survival . Their demand is that desilting Vaigai dam will increase storage capacity and make water availability more reliable for agricultural activities .
They also mentioned other water bodies and irrigation tanks in their petitions . According to them,if tanks are also desilted properly,it can support farming during dry spells and reduce pressure on single source of water.
Few demands stood out clearly in meeting:
- Action against quarrying operations near agricultural lands that are damaging roads and crops.
- Review petition against evictions affecting some farmers living in forest areas and their long-term residency .
- Fair and stable prices for their produce,similar to those for paddy,to ensure economic viability.
But water was not only issue raised there. Farmers also complained about indiscriminate quarrying operations in region . They said quarries near fields are causing dust,heavy vehicle traffic and damage to local infrastructure,which makes farming even harder .
And tbh,this part feels especially frustrating because farmer is already dealing with rainfall problem,loan pressure,input cost and market uncertainty . On top of that,if roads and crops are getting affected by quarry movement,then where exactly will farmer go?
Farmers also requested state government to waive cooperative crop loans,so some financial pressure can reduce . They urged authorities to promote Central government schemes through Agricultural Engineering Department,so local farmers can actually benefit from them instead of just hearing about schemes on paper .
Other demands included setting up Agricultural Extension Centre in Periyakulam for agricultural education and assistance . They also asked for quality seeds and fertilizers at reasonable prices,because without proper inputs,fair price and water support,farming becomes almost impossible to manage.
And now question is whether these petitions will move beyond meeting hall and actually turn into action on ground…
