The total area covered under the micro irrigation systems in the district has more than doubled during the last two years as many farmers are adopting effective water management practices in the wake of the drought. In a period of three years starting from 2007-08, the farming community in the district installed drip and sprinkler systems to cover only about 3,500 hectares. But in the last two years, farmers installed micro irrigation systems covering more than 6,000 hectares. “We are getting hundreds of applications from the farmers seeking subsidy for the installation of drip irrigation because many of them are facing serious water shortage following the monsoon failure,” a senior official in the Agriculture Department said. Importance “The poor rainfall has made many farmers to realise the importance of water management techniques such as micro irrigation and they are coming forward in large numbers to adopt such techniques,” the official said. A majority of the farmers had installed drip irrigation for sugarcane, banana and turmeric. More than 60 per cent of the drip system in the district were installed for the cultivation of sugarcane, a water intensive crop. Drip irrigation has the potential to save up to 60 per cent of the water, officials here pointed out. Farmers now install drip and sprinkler systems to cultivate papaya, tapioca, vegetables and a number of other crops as well. “Water has become a scarce resource and the traditional methods of watering the crops results in huge amount of wastage. The power crisis has worsened the situation. So, we cannot waste the water any more. With the micro irrigation systems, we are able to conserve water and irrigate more areas with little water,” says S. Kaliappan, a farmer in Kavunthapadi. The department had distributed more than Rs. 25 crore as subsidy to the farmers who installed micro irrigation systems. The small and marginal farmers would be given 100 per cent subsidy, while the farmers with large land holdings could get 75 per cent.