Farmers sore over govt nod for sand quarrying
TRICHY: Even as protests against indiscriminate sand quarrying
in rivers grow in intensity, the state government has given the nod for
a new quarry in the river Cauvery on the Trichy-Namakkal border.
This has worried farmers of more than 25 villages in Trichy district who fear sand quarrying will affect flow of water into the irrigation canal. Members of the Kattuputhur Farmers Association near Thottiyam have submitted a petition to the district administration, demanding that the approval for the new sand quarry be cancelled.
Association treasurer K Veluchamy said the new quarry, if opened, would have an adverse impact on agriculture in the area. "Work is in full swing to open the sand quarry in the Cauvery at Mohanur in Namakkal district as per the government order despite the fact that water flow into Kattuputhur canal from Cauvery will be affected," he said.
As per the government order, sand is to be quarried to a depth of 3 feet, but farmers fear there may be indiscriminate quarrying that will deepen the river. "Once the river is deepened, water cannot flow into the Kattuputhur canal. Agriculture in around 20,000 acres in Trichy district will be hit. The government should immediately stop the process," said Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers welfare association secretary K P Gandhipithan.
The government is said to have chose Mohanur for the quarry as the area is rich in sand. "The farmers are not opposing sand quarrying on the whole. They want the quarry to be shifted to some other area in the river," said P Ayyakannu of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangam.
This has worried farmers of more than 25 villages in Trichy district who fear sand quarrying will affect flow of water into the irrigation canal. Members of the Kattuputhur Farmers Association near Thottiyam have submitted a petition to the district administration, demanding that the approval for the new sand quarry be cancelled.
Association treasurer K Veluchamy said the new quarry, if opened, would have an adverse impact on agriculture in the area. "Work is in full swing to open the sand quarry in the Cauvery at Mohanur in Namakkal district as per the government order despite the fact that water flow into Kattuputhur canal from Cauvery will be affected," he said.
As per the government order, sand is to be quarried to a depth of 3 feet, but farmers fear there may be indiscriminate quarrying that will deepen the river. "Once the river is deepened, water cannot flow into the Kattuputhur canal. Agriculture in around 20,000 acres in Trichy district will be hit. The government should immediately stop the process," said Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers welfare association secretary K P Gandhipithan.
The government is said to have chose Mohanur for the quarry as the area is rich in sand. "The farmers are not opposing sand quarrying on the whole. They want the quarry to be shifted to some other area in the river," said P Ayyakannu of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangam.
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