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Tamil Nadu News Papers - Agriculture

Rs. 976 cr. to be spent to tide over drought

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The Hindu        23.03.2017 

Rs. 976 cr. to be spent to tide over drought

In dire straits:Failure of monsoon has resulted in rainfall shortage of 65 per centFile photo  

Situation unprecedented, government taking measures on war footing, says Minister

Municipal Administration and Rural Development Minister S.P. Velumani on Wednesday told the Assembly that the State was witnessing the worst drought in 140 years and the government was implementing schemes at a cost of Rs. 976 crore to tide over the crisis in both rural and urban areas.

Replying to a calling attention motion, the Minister said failure of monsoon had resulted in rainfall shortage of 65%. “The government is taking steps on war footing to tackle the situation. The schemes include digging of borewells, installation of electric and hand pumps and plastic tanks, supply of water through lorries, replacing old motors,” he said.

Mr. Velumani said Chennai used to receive 830 million litres of water per day and the failure of monsoon and drop in Krishna water inflow had created an alarming situation.

“Now, the city gets an average of 550 million litres a day from lakes, desalination plants, Veeranam scheme, newly included groundwater resources, Poondi and Thamaraipakkam wells,” he said.

Relief works at a cost of Rs. 100 crore were being implemented to overcome the crisis which would be of immense help, especially in May when the lakes around Chennai go dry.

In rural areas, drought relief works are being executed at a cost of Rs. 703.43 crore. “Drinking water projects have been given priority and the grants from State and Central Planning Commissions and other sources to the tune of Rs. 818.25 crore had been released to panchayats,” he said.

Mr. Velumani said Rs. 15 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund had been released to maintain water supply and another Rs. 300 crore from THAI scheme had been used to desilt small canals, renovation of tanks and development of infrastructure of water bodies.

Pointing out that town panchayats had not faced any crisis till March, the Minister said a total of 3,595 drought relief works were being executed at a cost of Rs. 46.41 crore in town panchayats.

 

TNAU college raises ‘kal vazhai’ farm for treatment of wastewater

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The Hindu        11.07.2016 

TNAU college raises ‘kal vazhai’ farm for treatment of wastewater

 Agriculture college develops two-stage organic treatment of sewage

NATURAL CLEANING:The open well at the farm of the TNAU - Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute at Kumulur near Tiruchi where the treated water is stored.— PHOTO: M. SRINATH
NATURAL CLEANING:The open well at the farm of the TNAU - Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute at Kumulur near Tiruchi where the treated water is stored.— PHOTO: M. SRINATH

Every drop of sewage water collected from the girls’ hostel of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – Engineering College and Research Institute at Kumulur near here is being treated and let off into an open well of the institute for irrigation for paddy, maize, and horticultural crops.

The availability of sprawling area on the campus has facilitated the purification process. The wastewater, which contains heavy metals, is purified in two phases. A channel has been dug for about 10 metres and the black wastewater is first passed through a thickly grown reed bed. Outside the bed, the colour of the raw sewage changes, indicating its partial purification. The semi-treated water then is let into the thickly cultivated kal vazhai (cana indica) plants. “It may be hard for you to believe that the sewage water becomes pure beyond the kal vazhai bed,” says K. Ramaswamy, Dean of the Institute.

He explained that the reed and kal vazhai acted as a natural agent for purification of the sewage water. The sewage water from the hostel contains a large number of organic impurities, which are first purified by the reed plants. The kal vazhai absorbs heavy metals such as aluminium, iron, and phosphorous and their compounds and grows on them.

“The water is purified and sent to an open well about 500 metres away from the hostel. We have buried PVC pipes below the earth,” says V. Ravikumar, Professor and Head of the Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Department of the institute.

The institute has been using the water for irrigating the fields. “The well whose water level was low about a year ago, has registered a sharp improvement, thanks to the continued discharge of the treated water round the clock,” he said.

The daily realisation of purified water is about 10,000 litres, according to an estimate. The well is overflowing now, in contrast to last when it the water level was 10 to 15 feet.

The institute has developed a separate farm all around the well for treatment of the sewage water.

 

City to get AMMAA weekly markets

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The Hindu     10.02.2015   

City to get AMMAA weekly markets

Products will be sold at a fraction of their retail prices

The civic body has planned to commission at least three AMMAA weekly markets in the city by March.

A variety of goods will be sold at a fraction of their market prices at these facilities.

On Monday, the Chennai Corporation zeroed in on Pallikaranai, Arumbakkam and Mint as venues for the markets in the first phase.

The commissioning of these three markets will be announced at the next council meeting.

In Pallikaranai, a five-acre plot of land near the proposed convention centre is likely to be used for setting up 200 shops this month.

The Corporation will also facilitate the setting up of 200 shops each in the markets at Arumbakkam and Mint.

Property problems

The civic body had earlier identified locations on Poonamallee High Road and Turnbulls Road, and in Saligramam, Valasaravakkam and Mint, and near Tidel Park for commissioning of the markets.

But many of these properties belong to other government departments and clearance for using them is awaited.

According to a Corporation official, the prices of most products to be sold at the weekly markets will be half of market rates.

The civic body is likely to increase the number of AMMAA markets to 15 in a few months. A list of 1,256 products to be sold has been finalised.

Toilets and parking facility will be provided near the markets. Each of the shops, which will be temporary structures, will span an area of 100 sq. ft.

The civic body is on the lookout for land to set up the markets in 197 other locations. The project involves a total of 40,000 outlets. At least 600 shops will start functioning by March.

A total of 40,000 outlets will be set up. At least 600 shops will start functioning by March

 
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