A Norway-funded climate-related project will be implemented in the Ponnaniar Reservoir System in this district
According to a release from the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai, in a bid to ensure food security, India and Norway are working on a four-year project to improve climate change adaptive capacity of agriculture and water sectors in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The Water Resource Organisation of the Public Works Department is joining hands with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and MSSRF for implementing the ClimaAdapt Project in Ponnaniar Reservoir System in Tiruchi and Kalingarayan Canal Irrigation System in Erode.
The other agency to take part in capacity building of stakeholders will be Irrigation Management Training Institute, Tiruchi.
The project funded by Norway through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Royal Norwegian Embassy will be implemented from June 2012 to May 2016.
The objective of the project is to contribute to the adaptive capacity of agriculture and water sector to the challenges of climate change with an emphasis on water conservation and ensuring higher yield besides selecting and applying suitable climate and hydrology scenarios.
ClimaAdapt will be on the following packages such as project management, situation analysis, capacity building, implementation of adaptation measures, and up-scaling policy linkages.
Under the ClimaAdapt programme about 2,101 acres had been identified in Ponnaniyar dam command area. Under the programme, the stress would be on need-based irrigation management so as to save water for other purposes in tail-end areas. Amidst extensive soil and water pollution, reclamation of soil and increasing soil health would be the ideal behind the project. New cropping system would be introduced to improve the soil organic matter content and improve farm income by including one green manure for 45 days.
The Water Resource Organisation will bring in a Geographical Information System on climate, soil, slope, and land-use management, to develop a baseline inventory, run a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to identify the problems in the irrigation system to increase water use efficiency, develop systems for the existing and proposed cropping pattern in tune with the changing climate and hydrological scenarios, and exploring the possibilities of extending ayacut area. WRO will also create village knowledge centre (with online communication facilities) to provide on-the-spot solution to farmers on problems faced by them, WRO official sources said.
Training will be imparted to Irrigation Department field-level officials for increasing conveyance efficiency and canal maintenance. Irrigation engineers will be trained on hydrological modelling and water budgeting.
Training will also be given to agriculture officers for assessment of crop water requirement and water saving techniques on and off farm. There would be exposure visit for all the three stakeholders.