Jayalalithaa releases water for Tirunelveli farmers

Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, the most fertile agricultural areas are to benefit with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who today ordered release of water from Manimutharu dam for the districts for irrigation. Following requests from farmers, Ms Jayalalithaa ordered release of water for irrigation from tomorrow, an official press release here said. This would provide irrigation facilities to 12,018 acres of cultivable lands in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts, the release said. Tirunelveli is also involved in fishery development and production. For the period 2005–2006, the total inland fish catch was 1,874 tonnes, and the total marine fish catch was 7,014 tonnes. The district is also rich in minerals, with a total of 407 mines and quarries. Limestone, granite and garnet sand are some of the minerals mined or produced in the district. Major industries include textile, food and forestry products. A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was introduced at Nanguneri n 2001. A pharma park and windmill spare-parts and television-manufacturing factories have been planned in this SEZ. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has planned a Rs 700-crore high-tech industrial park in Nanuguneri in association with INFAC Group and Axes Technologies Inc of the US. The state government is planning light manufacturing, design and assembly facilities, modern infrastructure facilities and amenities in this SEZ to attract a workforce from around the world. Tirunelveli district enjoys the benefit of the early showers of south-west monsoon and of the latter rains of the north-east monsoon. The district is chiefly irrigated by rivers rising in Western Ghats. The dams and anaicuts constructed on Thamiraparani and Manimuthar rivers serve both agriculture and power generation. The total fall, though is light, averaging about 814.8 mm per annum, is generally well-distributed. The Thamiraparani river affords perennial irrigation to a fairly large area on which two crops are normally raised. Several tanks and wells form part of the other source of irrigation. There are no large reservoirs in this district so the Papanasam and Manimuthar dams located in the Tirunelveli district in the Thambibharani river are the main sources of irrigation.