Tanks and Ground Water-Notes

 

Tanks and Ground Water-Notes

 

Tanks (Cheruvulu) For thousands of years, our ancestors have tried to utilize run-off rain-water by building tanks. We have evidence of tanks being built and used for agriculture from the times of the Megaliths. You will also read about the Kakatiya kings who built a large number of tanks in Telangana. This enabled the extension of agriculture into dry regions. To this day, most of the villages in these regions have at least one or two major tanks. How were the tanks built? The tanks were usually built by building a strong wall of stones and mud across a small stream in such a way that with a wall on just one side, a large lake could be formed. Look at the picture below:

Tanks were sometimes built by a king, sometimes by a military leader or nayaka or often by the people of the village themselves. Usually, every village preserved the memory of those who were responsible for building the tank through stories or temples or festivals. In building the tank, everyone in the village contributed towards the expenses and labour. All the people of the village maintained the tank together by repairing the tank bund (wall) or removing silt from the tank bed. They also ensured that no one stopped the water from flowing into the tank. They also appointed a person to regulate the use of the water from the tank. This particular person is called ‘Neerati’ or ‘Neeru Katte manisi’.

How did the Tanks Help? Tanks helped the people not only by giving them and their animals drinking water, but also in irrigating their fields in such a way that even during drought years, they could raise at least some crops. The tanks also helped to increase the water level in the wells nearby. After the rain stopped and the tank water decreased, the tank bed could be used for raising some crops.

The most important thing is that tanks helped to prevent run-off of rain-water and the erosion of top soils. Every year, people would collect tank silt and use it in their fields to fertilise the soil. We should remember that no one person owned the tanks and they belonged to all the people of the village. Thus, they benefitted not one or two people but all the villagers. Decline of Tanks in Our Times During the last twenty or thirty years, tanks have been neglected and have been allowed to break down. Repairs to the tanks, desilting etc. have not been done regularly. People also have gradually taken over the tank land for building houses or for agriculture. As a result, in almost every part of the state, we see the sad state of dry tanks lying uncared for. Instead of caring for the tanks, we have been digging deeper and deeper tube wells at a great expense. But they only benefit a few, and in the long run, deplete the water resources.

Fishing in Tanks Tanks not only provide drinking water and water for irrigation of fields, but also provide livlihood for fisherfolk. Many of the fisherfolk are from traditional fishing communities like Besta (Gangaputra), Goondla and Mudiraj (Tenugu) Community depend upon these tanks and rivers for leading their lives. Let’s find out more about their lives by visiting a village in Suryapet district. Bhethavolu village This village is 16 kilometers from Kodada near Suryapet. According to village elders ‘Bhethavolu’ got its name from Bhethala Reddy, the subordiante of Kakatiyas. He got the tank built in the name of his wife, Veerala Devi. Thus the villagers call the large tank as Veerala Devi tank or Eerla Devi Tank. The tank irrigates about 1900 acres in the village today even though originally it was meant to irrgate about 3000 acres. The ayakat (command area of tank) has been reduced due to illegal encroachements on the tank bed and due to silting. On the tank bund is situated the shrines of Katta Maisamma and Gangamma, who considered the guardian dieties of the tank. Fisherfolk and other villagers worship in these shrines before fishing and also celebrate annual festivals in their honour.

There are about 600 families of Besta (Gangaputra) and Mudiraj Community in Bethavolu village. Out of which 60-70 households are leading their lives by fishing. However, they fish in the tank only during the months of March and April. During the rest of the year they work as small farmers or labourers. Fishes in the tanks Earlier, different kinds of fishes like Buddaparakalu, Jellalu, Kodipelu, Chandamamalu, Kuntumukkulu, Pulishalu, Isuka dondulu, paperalu, Gandraparakalu, Guriyopillalu, Koraminulu, Valugalu etc., were easily available in the streams, small rivers and canals. When these waters flowed into the tanks the fishes bred in them. But during the recent times these fishes are disappearing due to heavy usage of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the agricultural fields. So now, the young fish are bred artificially in fish farming centres and are let out as seedlings into the tank. When they grow big they are fished and sold. The important among these are Merige, Ravvu, Bochche (Katla) and Bangaru Theega.These fishes are mainly available in the market nowadays. Each fish has its own special taste. Have you tasted the above mentioned fishes?

Fishing: Fishermen start for fishing early in the morning. Some use Visire vala for the fishing on the banks where the water is not deep. Others go into the lake on a ferry made with thermocol and reach a place where water is very deep and spread the Kachchu vala. Fishing is done twice a day. They catch the fish from 4‘0’ clock to 8‘0’ clock in the morning and take them to market. Again they catch fish from 1 to 4‘0’ clock in the afternoon and take them to market. They don’t care for cold, rains and heat and do the fishing. The fish left over after the sale are washed neatly and dried under the sun. When the catch is small they take them to Kodad or Suryapet for selling and when it is large they take it to cities like Hyderabad. Usually it is the men who do the fishing and it is the women who do the selling in the market. See figure 3.1(g) Cooperative Society of Fishermen A family needs to have a membership in the Cooperative Society for fishing. The membership is decided on the basis of the ayakat. Usually the Society takes one member per one hectare (two and half acres). There are 339 members in the society today. The Society pays Rs.2,35,000 to the Department of Fisheries for fishing in the tank. The Society has to purchase fish seedlings and put them into the tanks. They are supposed to pool the produce and share the earnings equally among all members. Š

 Meet the members of Co-operative society of your village and find about the Functioning of the society. Š Why do you think the fisherfolk have to make payments to the Fisheries Department? Recently a new practice can be seen in many fishing tanks. The fishermen are too poor and need loans for running their households. They cannot afford to buy the fish seedlings from the fish farms. Hence they are forced to take loans from traders.

Traders give advance loans and also take the responsibility of putting seedlings in the tank. In return the fisherfolk have to sell all their produce to the trader at a price fixed by him which is usually about 10 to 20 percent of the actual market price. In this way the trader makes a huge profit. If banks could give loans to the Cooperative societies, the fishermen could become independent of the trader-contractors. Š Why do you think the banks are reluctant to give loans to the fishermen Groundwater Rainwater not only flows down the streams or rivers but also slowly goes down into the soil. This water accumulates below the ground in the gaps between rocks, pebbles, sand etc. This is the groundwater which we reach through wells and bore wells. Rocks which have cracks or pores (minute holes) in them and can contain water are called pervious rocks. In Telangana, there are some areas where such rocks like sandstones are found. Some rocks like granite, Kadapa limestone etc. are very compact and do not have pores in them. Water cannot enter into them. Groundwater usually accumulates above such rocks. Since the water cannot go beneath them, these are called impervious rocks. Most of the rocks underlying the soil in telangana are of this kind.

 A small portion of land in Telangana, which is next to rivers, has deep layers of sand, soil and pebbles. Water also accumulates in these layers. The layer of water which accumulates under the ground among rocks is called aquifer. The thickness of the aquifer determines the availability of groundwater in the area. Visit the wells in your area and try to find out how many feet below the ground is the water level. Find out if there is any rocks underneath and if so, what kind of rock it is. Also find out about who owns the well, when was it dug and how much money was spent. Add up all the information about the wells and prepare a small booklet.