Chamber hails HC order to document, protect water bodies

MADURAI: Agro Food Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AFCCI) of Madurai has hailed the Madras High Court judgment directing the state government to open a dedicated website containing an exhaustive list of all water bodies in Tamil Nadu, which would help increase water table and support the economy on the whole.

The HC verdict is a beginning to resolve two major problems confronted by farmers: availability of water for irrigation and marketing produce at a profitable price. In order to address these two issues which are a grave concern for both central and state governments, the Agro Food Chamber had recently formed a forum named “Water Shed to Market Shed” and gave suggestions in the pre-budget meeting.

The AFCCI has suggested that all natural water bodies such as lakes, ponds, tanks, rivers, kanmois and their supply channels should be identified and restored removing all encroachments with the participation of local agrarian community to ensure full water storage during rainy season, said S Rethinavelu, president of the chamber. Public Private Participation (PPP) mode could be adopted with CSR funds wherever possible, he opined.

Nearly 60% of the irrigation tanks in the state were not even half–full despite receiving around 33 cm of rainfall during October and November, 2023 Rethinavelu said. Encroachments and obstructions in the channels supplying to the tanks are said to be principal reasons.

The state government has been asked to open a website containing relevant details pertaining to water bodies with specific data. The data is to be ready within six months accessible for all, said the HC. The court also directed that all the existing encroachments on water bodies should be removed and illegal constructions demolished. These directions would ensure proper harvesting of rainwater helping irrigation, Rethinavelu said.