Harsh summer dries up Idukki highrange; farmers in Vattavada run out of money and hope

Idukki: Large swathes of land across the terraced slopes shorn of any trace of greenery cut a rather uncharacteristic picture for Vattavada in Idukki. Even in the middle of summer, the farmers would be busy preparing the land for sowing and planting saplings, but not this time.

In the hilly hamlet known for vegetable cultivation, the farmers are running out of money and hope. The summer has been so harsh that they now receive even drinking water over stipulated time periods -- 7 am to 10 am and then from 6 pm to 9 pm. They hold onto it like treasure; using the water for farming is unthinkable. Schools reopen in a month. The water sources have dried up and so have their savings.

The local bodies bring drinking water to some of the badly hit areas. A household receives 200 liters of water a week. Private institutions also supply water. They charge Rs 750 to Rs 900 for 2,000 litres.

''By the time the school reopens, we will run out of money to buy classroom stationery for our children. If we get even a brief spell of rain, we can start planting the next day. It's going to be really hard, because our lives solely depend on agriculture,'' said Shiva, a farmer in Vattavada.

Most of the water bodies in the high range region have dried up during the hot summer. Local residents say that they don't recall a hotter summer in recent years. Compared to previous years, the temperature has increased by 1 to 2 degree Celsius in the high range. The Periyar, which overflows during the monsoon, has been reduced to stagnant pools.

Seasonal vegetables like garlic, carrots, beans, cabbage and potatoes etc are dependent on rain received in March. Not a drop this time; the farmers say. Only those who live on the banks of rivulets have planted crops this year. The farmers have tilled the land and now wait for the showers, storing seeds. The wait has been longer than usual. Parameswaran, a farmer from Vattavada, said that seeds have become unusable.

A few months ago, they were excited. With the price of garlic going from Rs 200 to Rs 350 per kg, the farmers of Vattavada thought they could grow garlic and pocket some good returns. The garlic that had been peeled and kept for sprouting rots in a corner of their homes.

This year saw the prices of cash crops touch the highest levels compared to previous years; be it coffee, cocoa or cardamom. All the farmers could do was to see the crops wilt in severe heat, soil being sucked of slightest hint of moisture. It's a stinging irony of sorts; high prices are on offer, but no yield to supply.

The Ground Water Department officials said that extreme heat and lack of rain have led to a decrease in the level of ground water in the high range. Many underground wells have dried up. The ground water table has also been affected due to nil water flow in ponds and streams and extensive use of groundwater to irrigate cardamom plantations. More than fifty tube wells have dried up in Kattappana region alone. In many places the water level has also decreased drastically.