Kaviyoor: The three-kilometre-long canal that was built for supplying water to the Venneervila paddy fields doesn’t do what it is supposed to do. The canal, to the dismay of farmers, carries water only up to 30 metres. 

Now, around 20 acres in the 75 acres of field has remained useless for many years. Meanwhile, the farming done in the remaining 55 acres doesn’t yield much and often ends up in loss due to shortage of water and the lack of proper facilities for the water to flow out during the harvest season. The farmers are adamant that they wouldn’t do farming in this land this year if the canal isn’t repaired. 

The three-kilometre-long canal was built 20 years ago by the small-scale irrigation department from the newly built pump house near Perumbadi stream up to Thuruth. This brought water to every nook and corner of the fields, allowing cultivation. However, maintenance hasn’t been done for years, damaging most part of the canal. Now, when the water is pumped from the Perumbadi stream, it flows for just 30 metres before getting spilled out through the damaged parts of the canal. 

A contract was given, almost a decade ago, for conducting regular maintenance works. However, the works got stalled after the contractor filed a case as the authorities failed to pay the bill. Every year, the famers begin farming at Venneervila at the beginning of November. The field needs to be water soon after the seeds are sowed. 

When the water is released through the canal, it gets accumulated at the area where the canal is damaged, turning it into a marshy patch. KR Sadasivan, former president of the paddy field samiti said that the harvesting machine couldn’t enter the marshy land last year, causing crisis.

Although panchayat president MD Dinesh Kumar had raised the issue at the meeting of the Thiruvalla taluk development samiti, no action was taken.