Palakkad: Giving clear indication of a future shortage in the availability of water in its sources and sinking groundwater levels in drought-prone Palakkad, the Varnar pond spread across two acres at Mannathukkavu in Koduvayur Panchayat has dried up with three months left to tide over the scorching summer.
“Earlier the water from the pond was used for paddy cultivation in nearly four acres of paddy field lying below it by channeling water from it. But, this year, the yield came down considerably as there was acute shortage of water before the harvest of the paddy,” Environmental activist Shyam Kumar who is known for planting and preserving medicinal plants on road sides in Palakkad, said.
The environmental activist said that such instances were clear indication of climatic change pointing to acute shortage of water. He added that the pond started drying similarly only in the last two years. Shyam who took up the issue of the pond drying up before summer with the authorities said that as the Moolathara Dam in Chittur dried up early, the water in the pond disappeared in the first week of February. “All these point to the cascading effect in matters regarding water and environment and it is high time for authorities to focus more on water preservation in the area,” Shyam said.
