The poor water level in the Aanaimaduvu dam in Puzhuthikuttai village and Kariyakovil dam in Pappanayakkanpatti village, despite the district experiencing widespread rainfall for many days in the recent past, is a matter of concern for the entire farming community.
The Aanaimaduvu dam was constructed across River Vasishta which originates from Arunutrumalai near Vazhappadi. The water spread area of the reservoir stood at 263.86 acres.
The water of the reservoir enabled farming activities in 5,011 acres in the villages of Puzhuthikuttai, Kurichi, Konanchettiyur, Sinnamanayakkanpalayam, Chandrapillaivalasu, Neermullikuttai, Kolathu and Kombai.
The Kariyakovil dam was constructed in the Pappanayakkanpati village in the foothills of Kalvarayanmalai. The water spread area of the dam was 188.76 acres and it served about 3,600 acres in Pappanayakkanpatti, Yezhupuli, Beemanpalayam, Thumbal, Ayyampettai, Idaiyapatti and Kathiripatti villages.
Both these dams prove the main drinking water source for about 50 villages in Vazhappadi block.
The Kariyakovil reservoir got filled last in November 28, 2015. Due to the repeated failure of monsoon both these dams did not receive adequate rainfall in the last two years.
The widespread rainfall received by the Vazhappadi block in the last two months raised the hopes of the officials and the farmers alike. However, the catchment areas of Kalvarayanmalai and Arunutrumalai did not receive much rain, due to which there was no adequate inflow into the dams.
At present the water level in Aanaimaduvu reservoir stood at 27 ft and in the Kariyakovil reservoir at 17 ft.
The poor water level in the reservoirs has affected ground water level in the surrounding areas too.
The flow of water in Rivers Vasishta and Vellar alone will ensure in the improvement of ground water level in these villages, says M. Palanimuthu, a farmer of Idayapatti village.
The farmers totally depend on rainfall during the months of October to December for commencing farm operations, he says.