Water water! – A century of thirst and little faith

There are oak trees on both sides of that narrow dirt road. It was the time when the heat started to peak. In the distance, salt was piled up like a hill in the salt flats. All along the way women gathered in small groups for drinking water in iron carts with colored jugs.

This is how Melechendanendal village of Chitturwadi panchayat, Ramanathapuram district was welcoming the day. Walking for several kilometers and waiting for hours for water is part of the daily life of the people even today.

Ramanathapuram is one of the worst water-scarce areas in Tamil Nadu. The people there mostly rely on Kanmai and Uruni water. If it rains 827 ml per year in Ramanathapuram. The big problem here is the sea water makes the ground water extremely saline. In such an environment, water brought in trucks is the main drinking water of the people.

Drinking water is sold at 12 rupees per pitcher ​​and water for other needs at 8 rupees. The wage earners are facing a lot of trouble as they cannot afford to buy water. Women’s entire thoughts are filled with water. Women spend most of their time searching for water. Due to this they are under stress mentally and physically.

“If there is no cart water, water must be fetched from the village. You can get that water only if you stay awake all night. As a result, they are unable to send their children to school on time and their education is also affected,” said Arogya Meri, house wife, carrying a water pitcher . As employment is not much in Ramanathapuram, rural women depend on hundred days work. They say that if there is a water problem, they will not be able to go to that work.

Cauvery collective drinking water

This is the state of Ramanathapuram for the last 100 years. Still, Ramanathapuram is unable to provide even 40 liters of drinking water per person per day. This is why this district is lagging behind in Tamil Nadu in terms of economic and industrial development. Although the water demand of Ramanathapuram has been partly met by the Cauvery Joint Drinking Water Project brought by the Tamil Nadu government in 2007, the rural people living on the coast continue to travel long distances for drinking water. Despite the introduction of projects like Cauvery joint drinking water, removal of salt plant, the water demand of Ramanathapuram has not been fully met.

It is in such an environment that ‘Tanka’ has given a little hope to mothers. Tanka is a significant solution to the drinking water problem of the people of Ramanathapuram. We have to travel to Rajasthan to know the story of Tanka coming to Ramanathapuram. Rajasthan is a desert land. Water is a very valuable commodity here. Historically rainwater harvesting has been a very essential practice in the region. Giant tanks were built in Rajasthan as early as 1600 BC to store rainwater. The name of these giant tanks is ‘Danka’.

Lifeline of people

Tanka plays an important role in meeting the drinking water needs of Rajasthan. Tanka use began to decline after the advent of motor pumps in the 20th century. As the motor pumps were largely ineffective during the dry season, the people of Rajasthan again moved towards Tanka. Tanka has now become the drinking water storage system of the state. Thar desert people see Tanka tanks in square, round and rectangular shapes as a lifeline. WASCA (Water Security and Climate Adaptation in Rural India), GIZ, Union Ministry of Rural Development, Ramanathapuram Rural Development Department have planned to set up Tanka Tanks in Ramanathapuram as a model of Rajasthan. M.S. Swaminathan research foundation helped to identify villages for Tanka rainwater tank construction and provide technical assistance in this project.

As a result, in 2020 Tanka rainwater tank was constructed at R.S. mangalam. At present tanka rainwater tanks have been set up at 10 places in Ramanathapura district namely Tirupullani, kadaladi , Mandapam, Melechendanental and Periyakulam. About 280 families are benefited by one tanka tank.

After Tanka’s arrival, there has been a slight change in the lives of the people along the Ramanathapuram beach, says Jyoti, a food worker. It is what we use for cooking and drinking. If there is no water in Oruni, we will dig a well and solve the water requirement. The water in the well will be fresh for ten days. Then the sea water will enter it and make it salty,” he said. He said that after the construction of Tanka Rainwater Tank, the water problem has reduced for six months and there is no longer a situation where people wait all night for water as before.

Only fresh water

When asked Selva Mukhilan, Senior Researcher, MS Swaminathan Research Institute, about tanka tank, he said, “The tanka can store 60,000 liters of rainwater. This has reduced the need for the people of the region to travel long distances for water. They take water for their needs through tanks. As it is rain water, they boil this water and use it as drinking water. Earlier, these people were using Oruni water as drinking water. Due to this, they suffered from many health problems including diarrhea. Health risks are also reduced due to the availability of relatively clean water that is free from pollution through Tanka. In fact, this is the only fresh water that is available here at the moment,” he said.

In the present context, the water problem of Ramanathapuram has been partially solved by Tanka. However, it is necessary to implement a permanent solution depending on water scarcity. It is the expectation of the people that the government should carry out creative and sustainable projects to meet the drinking water demand during dry periods without rain.

– Article written for ‘Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship’ presented by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to study on ‘Gender Issues in Water Scarcity in India’.

This article was first published in Hindu Tamil Thisai on 18 February, 2024