Dozens of coconut farmers on both sides of the Moolathara lift irrigation canal are unhappy about the lack of water in the canal.
No water has flowed through the canal during the summer in the past seven years. Although the monsoon saves the coconut farms from total destruction, the dearth of water between December and June has badly affected about 1,000 acres of coconut farms in a radius of 10 km.
Particularly affected are the coconut plantations from Moolathara to Nellimedu. Acres of coconut plantations at Meenakshipuram and Sharalipathy too are affected by the lack of water in the irrigation canal.
Project a non-starter
Two years ago, when Chittur MLA K. Krishnankutty was Minister for Water Resources, the government had announced that it would clean up the irrigation canal by spending ₹2 crore. But nothing happened.
“Coconut palms in our plantations begin to wither when the summer peaks in March. We have not got a single drop of water for the past seven years. If the government continues to neglect this canal, our survival will be difficult,” said Sujith Kumar G., one of the coconut farmers from the region.
Rain-shadow region
Meenakshipuram and Nellimedu are part of the rain-shadow region of east Palakkad which receives very less rain annually compared to other parts of the State. Nellimedu lies hardly 2 km from Plachimada, the region where the Coca-Cola bottling plant had wreaked havoc a few years ago.
Because of lack of water and constant disuse, the irrigation canal is full of shrubs. “It has to be cleaned first before deepening and releasing water into it,” said Mr. Kumar.
Padmaja Devi, another farmer in the region, said that if the government cared for the coconut farmers, it should consider releasing water through the Moolathara irrigation canal. When there is water in the canal, the groundwater in the region gets charged, and it helps coconut trees.
As there is no water, the trees cannot be used for toddy tapping. “We cannot use our trees for toddy tapping as there will be no water practically for six months from December,” said Mr. Kumar.
