Coimbatore: The Water Technology Centre at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) plans to train 3,000 farmers in and around the Upper Bhavani basin in the next one year on adopting water-efficient practices, which will improve groundwater table The practices will include water management, watershed development, value-addition and organic farming. The programme, sponsored by ITC Limited, is conducted as part of the firm’s Mission Sunehra Kal.The mission is already underway at Karamadai, where it has renovated 186 percolation tanks and 225 farm ponds with the help of NGO Coodu. As much as 54% of the land under cultivation has been fitted with micro-irrigation systems.“Construction of rainwater harvesting structures, artificial groundwater recharging structures, adoption of effective soil and water conservation measures, micro-irrigation technology and judicious use of water in all sectors are required to narrow down the supply-demand gap of water,” director of the centre S Paneerselvam said.ITC has also collaborated with the centre to launch a new research project on sustainable agriculture development with major emphasis on water demand management in Upper Bhavani river basin. “It also includes demonstration and training farmers on water-efficient practices in water guzzling crops like banana and coconut,” Paneerselvam added.

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