Overcoming Odds: Restoration of groundwater revives ryot lives

Nadiyam, a village in Tamil Nadu’s delta region, its rice bowl, has not just been facing water scarcity owing to lesser receipt of water from Cauvery river originating in neighbouring Karnataka but also suffering from intrusion of sea water into its water bodies. Five years ago, this had pushed the ryots into acute desperation, who were reeling under the 2018 cyclone Gaja already. Many of them had made plans to abandon paddy cultivation itself.

Bolstered by a 35-year-old Nimal Raghavan, a feisty youngster, who quit his job and came rushing to help the struggling farmers from UAE, the farmers have seen rays of hope as they see their lakes and tanks restored steadily to recharge the groundwater in the region.

Since 2019, more than 70 lakes have been desilted and restored and in the past four years, the progress has been commendable. Groundwater is now available at 50-ft depth and the recent initiative of the village to further take this activity intensely has assured the residents of better days in future too.

As per a visual being circulated on social media, the villagers have decided to give up all forms of entertainment and restore many more tanks lying defunct. An ambitious plan to restore more water bodies than what was attempted is being considered actively by the charged-up residents.

They have every reason to feel confident as Raghavan, overcoming ridicule and criticism when he set out to clean up a 560-acre lake as his first project a few years ago is an inspiration. This is surely a great example of self-help by a set of people who have often been caught in a political crossfire for something basic and statutory as water supply for their crops. Not any more, for sure.