Tirupattur (Tirupathur) in Tamil Nadu is one of the worst drought-hit districts in the state. A predominantly rural district, it has limited connection with rivers and lakes. Ground water level is also continuously decreasing. But the collector of the district IAS officer Thiru. D. Baskara Pandian had a solution for this problem. He has created a world record by getting 1546 farm ponds constructed in just 30 days across the district through the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
More ponds are still being constructed in villages. These ponds will act as water storage pits during the monsoon and recharge groundwater as well. This initiative has also provided employment to more than 40 thousand people under MGNREGS. Now administration is also planning to plant trees around these ponds, which will not only boost the green cover, but enhance the life of ponds and the employment as well.
Indian Masterminds interacted with collector Mr Pandian, to know more about his initiative.
THE WORLD RECORD INITIATIVE
The initiative was started on July 1st this year. And the record was created within a month – from July 1st to 31st. Through this achievement, Tirupattur has surpassed Tiruvannamalai district which set a world record in the same category by creating 1,121 farm ponds in 2021.
Teams from USA-based Elite World Records, the UAE-based Asian Records Academy, Indian Records Academy, and Tamizhan Book of Records have confirmed the monumental achievement of Tirupattur.
The initiative covered 208 villages in all four Talukas. The district administration has now decided to create a large number of ponds in the district. For this, all the Panchayats have been instructed to construct the ponds on community lands.
But it was not as easy as it seems. The administration started door-to-door awareness campaign about the Farm Pond scheme before two months of implementing the scheme. They also started an environmentally conscious effort to conserve rainwater, saving the dipping water level, plants, and other species.
Mr Pandian said, “The primary objective of this scheme was to boost the groundwater level and to create employment opportunity. As this rural district is fighting with water crisis, millets and sugar cane crops affected by water scarcity. So this initiative aims at harvesting rain water during monsoon, providing sufficient water for agricultural purposes and creating awareness to understand the water crisis better in every possible way.”
EMPLOYMENT & PONDS
The whole project was implemented with an approximate budget of Rs. 30.92 Crores under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Each farm pond was having the cost around Rs. 2 lakhs. Each farm pond is 72 feet long, 32 feet wide and six feet deep with a storage capacity of 2 lakh litre of water.
The initiative also has helped to create employment opportunities for rural people as each pond provided employment to more than 200 people.
In the starting, administration encouraged individuals with leased land to register for farm ponds. Later, they also community land for digging the pond and it became a big success. Now, more than 1100 ponds are on community land. The entire project was completed by the unskilled labourers under MGNREGA.
Mr Pandian said, “The district was facing severe water shortage. The more feasible solution to this problem is to create water bodies and filling them with rain water. This year we have received good rainfall and our ponds are full of water. That is why this scheme is successful.”
THE SUCCESS
The success of this project belongs to community involvement. Yes, the micro-level planning by administration is also a big reason behind the success, but community’s involvement gave it a big push. The initiativeinvolves brainstorming sessions with DRDA team, farmers and experts with having many discussions, meetings, and workshops on farm pond creation process and its significance.
The farm ponds will also promote fish farming, offering farmers an opportunity to diversify their agricultural businesses.
