Kerala - Kannur   

Farmers air bitter feelings over Kattampally irrigation project

Staff Reporter

KANNUR: The four-decade-old issue of the devastation of the vast extent of paddy cultivation in the Kattampally river basin here still triggers bitter feelings among farmers in the area though they differ on how to revive the stretches of what was once paddy fields now left fallow.

The initiative of the District Forest Information and Extension Centre to involve the Kattampally farmers in identifying the existing problems and exploring solutions here on Wednesday turned out to be another event for the farmers to express their outrage over the havoc wrought by the Kattampally irrigation project on the paddy cultivation in the area, especially in the `kaipadu' lands that experience tidal action.

V.S. Vijayan, former Director of Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology, Coimbatore, and expert on wetlands, was present at the initiative by the DFIEC.

The farmers were united on their views that nearly 4,000 hectares of land under paddy cultivation in the basin area had been destroyed since the commissioning of the irrigation project four decades ago.

They, however, differed on whether or not the project should be abandoned. K. Kunhimamu, a `kaipadu' farmer, says that before the commissioning of the project, 14-20 quintals of rice used to be harvested from one acre. Today, kaipadu cultivation is restricted to a small area and the crop production is hardly one quintal.

The major attraction of the project highlighted then was that the farmers could go for second and third crop, he said adding that the project comprising a 13-shutter regulator-cum-bridge was nothing but a road bridge now.

Launched for benefiting an area of 1,267 hectares, including 935 hectares of kaipadu land, the Kattampally project led to the hardening of the soil due to the prevention of saltwater from entering wetland areas.

C.H. Aboobacker Haji from the Kattampally area told the gathering that steps be taken to declare the entire Kattampally a protected area as part of reviving the pre-project situation there. Sajan Chelari from the area said that the Kattampally wetland was now being used for dumping waste from slaughterhouses and barbershops.

Farmers who favoured retaining the project countered the views of majority of farmers supporting the call for abandoning the project to restore the tidal action. Farmers K.C. Govindan, C.P. Chandrashekaharan and K. Narayanan represented the farmers who opposed any move to restore the tidal action. They suggested that the Kattampally project be linked with the Pazhassi project to ensure water supply from the latter project.

But kaipadu farmers said that kaipadu cultivation was unique as the crop season there commenced in May-June.

The earth was turned into small mounds in summer for raising seedlings.

With the onset of monsoon, the kaipadu lands would be drained of its salinity and then the seedlings would be transplanted, they say.

Mr. Vijayan said that the initiative to study the problems listed by the farmers would continue. The arguments of both sides required to be studied in detail to arrive at a scientific conclusion.

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