Madurai: Locals rejuvenate village tank with NGO’s help in Melur

MADURAI: The residents of Pazhaiyurpatti village in Melur taluk have rejuvenated the village tank which had become unusable for over 30 years, with the help of an NGO. The village has five water ponds. The drinking water pond is called Pazhayurpatti pudukulam.
Village leader Karuppiah said that they had formed a body called the Pazhaiyurpatti agriculture water resource protection association to revive the water bodies.
The villagers had approached Pradan, a New Delhi-based NGO, to help them revive the tank, which had been rendered useless as it was filled with silt for 30 years. Both the NGO and villagers contributed Rs 1.4 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh respectively and the depth was enhanced to 15 feet against its earlier level of three feet.
About 5,800 cubic metre of earth comprising silt and hard earth were removed and a 2m bund was constructed on three sides. The villagers have also decided to plant horticultural plants along the bund. A week after the work was completed, water was released in the Periyar-Vaigai channel, which is the main source of water for this tank.