Indigenous Water Management - Oorani Tanks
Nagarjuna
Ramanathapuram district is drought prone and water scarcity is the
biggest problem here.
People migrate after January and return by August when the monsoon
sets in. The northeast monsoon (September to November) is expected to
bring maximum rain and usually chilli, cotton, onion and paddy are
cultivated. Charcoal is produced in Ramanathapuram and adjacent
Tuticorin districts. Agriculture, charcoal production and fishing in
the coastal areas are the sources for livelihood of the people. There
are some industries in nearby Virudhunagar district where people
migrate for work. A good number of workers in hosiery and knitwear
units of Tiruppur are from the district. Usually men go out in search
of jobs and women, old people and children stay home.
Once upon a time the ooranis and tanks had been maintained by the
people through a group of individuals chosen by the villagers and
called kudimaramatthu . This practice stopped after the British regime
took over.
Tanks and ooranis became Government property maintained by the Public
Works Department. With the arrival of bore wells, the concept of
conserving water through such water bodies was forgotten.
The ground water level plummeted and water turned saline. The
Government-sponsored desalination plants in the district are
insufficient to meet the demand.
Every village has one to three ooranis for drinking water, domestic
water needs and livestock and temple pond. The main water source is
rain, but the district falls in rain shadow belt with scanty
rainfall.
People could at most store water in ooranis and tanks for three to six
months a year.
Rest of the time women, girls and men must trek three to five
kilometers every day in search of water. This affected their
livelihood, health, and the education of girls. There are incidents of
conflicts for drinking water among villages. On the other hand there
are instances of sharing oorani water between villages. If an oorani
is built, the water would be shared by about 500 families of three
villages.
Most of the ooranis are either dilapidated or small. In some areas,
the percolation rate of water is high because the base layer is sandy.
If an oorani is renovated and technically modified, it would quench
the people's thirst in three to four villages. Besides it would
improve the quality of life. Girls could go to schools; women could
finish their household chores faster and help in the fields. The
search for water has affected health, education and livelihood. It is
common to find men and women in the district spending a whole day in
search of water. The family income is Rs.1, 500 to Rs. 2,500 a month
and lower during the summer. People have to spend Rs.150 to Rs.250 on
water every month.
You can also do it ....
To help save the lives of the Life saving Ooranis -
Kind hearted well-wishers -- Can sponsor an Oorani
Dhan Foundation - http://www.dhan.org/ooranis/districts.php
Sri Lanka India Study Group - http://lankaindia.blogspot.com/