'TN was pioneer in inter-linker of rivers'

(March 28, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said that the State was the first in the country to implement inter-linking of rivers so as to prevent water from going into the Bay of Bengal.

Speaking at a seminar on 'Water Management of Ancient Tamils', the Chief Minister said that according to the scheme on inter-linking of rivers, the work on the projects with respect to Cauvery, Kattalai Channel, Kadavanai project, Tamirabarani and Nambiyarm projects was under way.

Making a clarion call to save the rainwater which is being wasted, Karunanidhi said the State government has been implementing initiatives on par with the water managerial skills, talent and methods of ancient Tamils.
In the distant past, water was stored in reservoirs dug into the earth for agriculture, drinking water and domestic purpose. However, the goal of the ancestors was absolutely clear --- it was to conserve water.

Irrigation is an imperative necessity and its practice is of the earliest antiquity in the South. Therefore, construction of irrigation system and organised irrigation began in South during the megalithic times. The ‘tank’ system was traditionally the backbone of agricultural production and tanks were constructed either by bunds or by excavating the ground and collecting rainwater.

In ancient times, tanks, lakes, channels, canals and other water bodies were made to save rainwater, he said, adding that the stored water was later used for irrigation.

From ancient literature like Tholkappiam and Purananoour, the concept of building small dams and check dams across waterways was known, he added.

'Even from scriptures and other sources we learn about water management skills and efficiency of ancient Tamils,' he further said.

'Water insufficiency has been prevailing in Tamilnadu when compared to neighbouring States', Karunanidhi said, adding that the DMK regime had been implementing schemes in order to conserve and store water.

Recalling the earlier DMK regimes in which various schemes were implemented, the Chief Minister said the State government had been following the methods of Tamils.

Stating that in future water scarcity problem would be worldwide, he said water should be conserved, stored and used it usefully.

Earlier, Karunanidhi gave away 'Porkili Awards', instituted by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, to 17 Tamil scholars. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh.