When all the rains failed to fill the 1,000-year-old lake

PERAMBALUR: The rains have come and gone. However, they haven't been successful in filling a 1,000-year-old lake in Sathanur village of Perambalur district, thanks to improper maintenance of the waterbody.

According to residents of Sathanur, the lake, spread over 65 acres, dates back to the Chola era. It served as a main source of irrigation for farmers cultivating paddy and chilli, which were the main crops in the region. However, inadequate maintenance led to accumulation of silt and a large area of the waterbody got covered by Seemai Karuvelam trees. With the lake unable to store enough water, farmers gradually started to switch to rainfed crops such as maize and cotton.

Residents submitted several petitions to the authorities, urging them to desilt the lake and clear the trees, but in vain. Subsequently, some of the local youth pooled in money and and cleared some trees and removed a part of the silt.

The 2020 monsoon season and the subsequent rains, however, could not fill the lake as the waterbody had to be deepened further.

K Karthick, a resident of Sathanur, said, "We did all what we could in the last two years. But, the lake has to be deepened further to store more water. It is time the authorities removed all the trees on the lake and desilted it. They should strengthen the banks and renovate the sluices."

Another resident, R Kalairaj, said, "There are several cattle breeders in our village. As we grow only rainfed crops, we are forced to pay more for buying straw from outside. However, if we start cultivating crops like paddy, we will get straw in our field, which can be used as cattle feeds. So, the lake has to be rejuvenated. Being a big waterbody, the authorities should allocate sufficient funds to deepen and renovate it properly. Allocating just Rs 1 lakh or Rs 2 lakh will not be sufficient."

When contacted, Sathanur panchayat president S Kulanthaivel said, "I have already approached the Alathur Block Development Officer and the Collector urging them to renovate this lake. I will look into it again."