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Chapter III
PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA
This chapter gives the profile of the study district and sample
locations. In the first part, profile of the Thanjavur district like location
of the district, historical profile, administrative units, demographic
details, water resources, agriculture, irrigation, climate and rainfall,
infrastructure, etc. are discussed in brief manner. In the second
section, description of sample areas viz. Thanjavur Municipality, Vallam
Town Panchyats and four sample villages are given.
THANJAVUR DISTIRCT
Thanjavur district is the rice bowl of Tamilnadu. The Big Temple
and other famous temples in the district are well known all over the
world. Thanjavur gained prominence during the period of Chola Kings,
who made it as Chola Kingdom. There after it was ruled by Nayakas
and Maratha Kings, who nurtured art and culture. Even today the
cultural, the architectural and the scholarly pursuits of these rulers are
reflected in the great monuments like Grand Anaicut (water
dams/diversion work), Big Temple and Sarawathy Mahal Library, etc.
in the district.
Thanjavur district stands unique from time immemorial for its
agricultural activities and is rightly acclaimed as the granary of the
South India lying amidst the deltaic region of the famous river Cauvery
and lengthy network of irrigation canals. This coastal district abounds
in green paddy fields, tall coconut groves, vast gardens of mango and
plantain trees and other verdant vegetation.
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The district tops all the other districts of India in the production
of rice and is remarked as the rice bowl of India. The economy of the
district is, therefore, primarily agrarian in nature with very few
industrial units.
Thanjavur is one of the thirteen coastal districts of Tamilnadu in
the production of marine fish which accounts for about 5 percent of the
total marine fish catches of the state. The district is famous for its
exquisite ancient handicrafts making of bronze icon, Thanjavur art
plates, bell metal casting, bowls and powder boxes of metal with
beautiful and artistic inlaying and engraving work of motifs well known
as Thanjavur Swamy Work. It is equally well known for pith work,
ornamental fans, mats and making of musical instruments with wood.
It is also a flourishing centre of handloom silk and cotton sarees.
Location
Thanjavur district lies on the East Coast of Tamilnadu. It is
situated between 9.50’ and 11.25’ of the northern latitude and 78.45’
and 70.25’ of the eastern longitude. It extends to an area of 3396.57
sq.km. The district is bounded by the Coloroon river on the north,
which separates it from Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli distirct, and on
the east it is bounded by the Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts and
on the south by the Palk Strait and Pudukkottai district and on the west
by Pudukkottai and Tiruchirappalli districts (See Maps 1 and 2)
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Historical Profile
Thanjavur attained prominence under the Chola rules that were
paramount in South India during 9th to 12th centuries. They were not
only excellent rulers but also mighty builders who erected a large
number of exquisite temples in their empire, some of which constitute
the finest specimens of architecture. Hence the district stands
distinguished in the state even in its large number of temples, whose
legends extend deep in to early historic times. Many of these temples
reflect the power, genius and architectural grandeurs of their authors
displaying the unique and magnificent proficiency in sculpture,
painting and woodcarving.
The period of Chola Kings was not only considered as epoch-
making but also an era of the cultural renaissance. Thanjavur under
the Chola rule was the cradle of Tamil Culture. Literature and
civilization and the rare Tamil manuscripts in the Thanjavur library
corroborate this fact. Another notable feature is that in spite of several
alien invasions, onslaughts and internal conflicts, the ancient culture
and civilization not suffered much devastation. The inhabitants have
successfully concentrated their histrionic talents in the field of art,
literature, drama, music and dancing and are known for their rich
cultural and religious flavor. They live in close harmony as a well-knit
community and the three main religious groups viz., Hindus, Muslims,
and Christians, celebrate their fairs and festivals with a sense of
mutual respect.
According to the known history dating back to Sangam age, the
Cholas ruled over Thanjavur for about one thousand years. They also
cultivated fine arts under this patronage, erected temples, constructed
anaicuts, built ports and cities.
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Thanjavur district stands unique from time immemorial for its
agricultural activities and is rightly acclaimed as the Granary of the
South India lying in the deltaic region of the famous river Cauvery with
lengthy network of irrigation canals. The coastal district abounds in
green paddy fields, tall coconut groves, vast gardens of mango and
plantain trees and other verdant vegetation. The river has also been
named Ponni because it is yielding pon (it means gold) in the form of
paddy. That is why it is said with pride that every iota of the earth of
Thanjavur is equal to an iota of gold. The tillers in Tamil literature have
been rightly called as Kauviri pudhalvars – the sons of the Cauvery as
they alone are worthy of this title for the rich production of grains in
this fertile soil.
It is no wonder therefore that at the very threshold of the district
itself one can find green vegetation and call Thanjavur as the green
mansion of the South. With average annual rice production touching
4.27 lakh metric tonnes during 2009-10 (Government of Tamilnadu,
2011), the district tops all the other districts of India in the production
of rice and remarked as the rice bowl of India. The economy of the
district is, therefore, primarily agrarian with very few industrial units.
Agriculture
Thanjavur district is essentially a deltaic plain comprising of old
and new delta. The old delta has a network of canals and channels of
the river Cauvery and Vennar. Upper portion of this new delta area is
irrigated by Grant Anaicut canal. Tapping of ground water is done
considerably in this area to advance the first cropping season Kuruvai
to avoid damage due to the north-east monsoon and to accommodate
the two crops namely Kuruvai and Thaladi.
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The soils of new deltaic area are amenable to wide variety of
crops such as coconut, mango, guava, pulses, cotton, gingelly,
groundnut and banana. Cultivation of oil palm and soya bean is also
carried out in this district wherever assured water supply and drainage
facilities are available. The major crops cultivated in Thanjavur district
are paddy, pulses, gingelly, groundnut and sugarcane. The minor
crops like maize, soya beans and red gram are also grown.
Paddy is the principal crop grown in three seasons viz. Kuruvai ,
Thaladi and Samba. Farmers with assured ground water irrigation go
for two seasons ie. Kuruvai and Thaladi. The first paddy crop Kuruvai
is the short-term crop with duration of 100-115 days from May-June to
September-October. The paddy crop cultivated after harvesting the
Kuruvai crop is called Thaladi which has duration of 110-125 days from
October-November to January-February. Paddy is also cultivated in
very limited area during summer with the help of ground water.
Samba is single largest paddy crop cultivated in the district in
larger extent. Farmers wholly depend on canal irrigation and other
farmers who planned for one paddy crop (and other seasonal crop like
cotton) per year will go for samba season. Generally long duration high
valued varieties like ponni will be cultivated in this season. The
duration of the crop is 135 to 150 days planted from August to October
and harvested from January to March is being raised as a single crop
where the water is very less and not available for two crops. Finally
Summer Paddy is also raised in this district from December-January to
March-April.
Pulses like black gram, green gram and cash crops like cotton
and gingili are grown after rice. In new delta area, groundnut is the
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principal crop. Sugarcane is cultivated both in new delta and old delta.
Banana is primarily grown in padugai (upland in the agricultural fields
by silt formation through the river and canal system) lands.
It is also pointed out that due to Cauvery water dispute with
Karnataka State, the farmers of Thanjavur district could not get
adequate water for irrigation and consequently face loss of paddy
production to some extent. Further every year there may be a monsoon
cyclone flood and drought situation, which may also considerably affect
the paddy production in Thanjavur district.
Irrigation
The presence of the river Cauvery and numerous irrigation
projects that have been carried out even from days of Chola Kings can
be considered as the best irrigation system in Tamilnadu. The
necessity for irrigation was realized very early and irrigation systems of
the district date back to days of early Cholas. Over 70 per cent of the
gross cropped area is under irrigation systems through one source or
the other, and over 85 per cent of the net sown enjoys the benefit of
irrigation. The total area irrigated in Thanjavur district stood at
2,11,809 hectares during 2010-11 (District Statistical Hand Book,
2011).
The chief sources of irrigation in the district are rivers and tube
wells. A few rain-fed tanks and wells also cater to the irrigation needs
of the district. These tanks and wells are situated mostly in the upland
regions. Cauvery and Coleroon (a branch of Cauvery) are the most
important rivers in the district. River Cauvery originate in the Western
Ghats, and it is fed by the southwest monsoon and in later part by the
north east monsoon. Strictly speaking agriculture in the district is
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dependent on the Cauvery as most of the irrigated areas in the district
derive water from Cauvery and its numerous branch canals. Canals
serve about 80 per cent of the total net area irrigated and the river
Cauvery feeds these canals. Thus Cauvery is the primary source of
irrigation in the district. The Cauvery delta system in Thanjavur that
comprises mainly three important irrigation projects viz., the Grand
Anaicut; The Cauvery and Vennar regulation system; and Cauvery
Mettur project.
The oldest and the most significant among these three is Grand
Anaicut and is reported to have been constructed during the Sangam
Age of Chola period. This has been built at the junction of rivers
Cauvery and Coleroon about sixteen kilometers from Tiruchirappalli at
the lower end of Srirangam island and is designed to regulate the water
supply which comes down the Cauvery from the Upper Anaicut. When
the supply exceeds the requirements of the delta channels, the gates of
the Grand Anaicut are raised and the surplus water is passed down in
to the Coleroon where it proceeds down to the Lower Anaicut and it is
again regulated and utilized for irrigation by means of the canals. The
Grand Anaicut was first built with granite stones and mud with an out
layer of granite blocks with lime mortar. Its length is 1080’ and
breadth is 40’ to 60’ with a depth of 15’ to 18’. Later on, it has
undergone numerous improvements. In 1806, it was raised further
and in 1830 it is provided with sand scouring sluices. Some fifty years
later, the stones were removed and replaced by lifting shutters in 1899.
The main purpose of this Anaicut was to check and control the
waste water running in to Coleroon. Sir Arthur Cotton, an able
engineer, built a masonry wall at the head of the Coleroon in 1836, in
order to prevent silting up of Cauvery in the deltaic region. After the
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construction of the Upper Anaicut, floods often threatened the Anaicut
and then occurred serious erosions on the banks of the Cauvery. This
danger was however minimized in 1845 by the construction of Cauvery
Mettur dam. In order to avoid the danger completely, Upper Anaicut
was rebuilt in 1899 so as to provide passage floodwater down the
Coleroon in cases of emergency. Cauvery and Vennar regulations,
which are immediately below Grand Anaicut divide the stream between
rivers and control flow of water. Just below these, small regulators are
built in order to effect proper distribution of water among various
branches of the rivers and other numerous irrigation channels. The
Coleroon Anaicut was also the product of the mastermind of engineer
Sir Arthur Cotton and was built in order to irrigate the northeastern
parts of the composite Thanjavur district, especially the taluks of
Mayiladuthurai and Sirkazhi (now in Nagapattinam district) that were
not adequately covered by the Cauvery system. This dam was
extended, remodeled and rebuilt on the same lines as the Upper
Anaicut. A few major repair works for strengthening of the dam were
undertaken in early 20th century.
Climate and Rainfall
The climate of Thanjavur can be termed as a fairly healthy one
like the other coastal areas. November, December, January and
February are the pleasant months in a year with climate full of warm
days and cool nights. From March onwards, the climate rather
becomes sultry and the mercury reaches its peak by the end of May
and June depending upon the onset of summer rain. The northeast
monsoon in October brings complete relief. The southwest monsoon
sets in June and continues till September. The rainfall during this
period is much lower than the northeast monsoon which sets in
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October and continues more or less till January (up to winter).
However Thanjavur District is benefited more by northeast monsoon
because of its heavy rainfall and the Western Ghats invariably feeds the
Cauvery and helps greatly the vast cultivation of the deltaic area.
Normal annual rainfall of the district is 1070 mm. Fifty-two per cent
of rainfall concentrated in the northeast monsoon season, which falls
between October and December. Actual rainfall during the year 2009-
10 is 1217 mm.
Administration
Thanjavur district has three revenue divisions and eight taluks.
Number of revenue firkas is 50 and number of revenue villages is 906.
Regarding the local administration, it has 14 panchyat unions, three
municipalities viz. Thanajvur, Kumbakonam and Pattukkottai. Number
of town panchayats in the district is 22. The district has 569 village
panchayats. Table 3.1 provides the details of administrative units of
Thanjavur district.
3.1 Administrative Units of Thanjavur District
Sl.No. Administrative Units Numbers
1 Municipalities 3
2 Revenue Divisions 3
3 Taluks 8
4 Unions/Blocks 14
5 Revenue Firkas 50
6 Town Panchayaths 22
7 Village Panchayaths 569
8 Revenue Villages 906
Source: District Colletorate, Thanjavur.
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3.2 Demographic details of Thanjavur District: 2001 (in Nos.)
Particulars Thanjavur District
Total Number of Households 5,01,890 Total Population 22,16,138 Male Population 10,96,638 Female Population 11,19,500 Sex Ratio 1,021 Rural Population 14,67,577 Percentage to the total population 66.22 Urban Population 7,48,561 Percentage to the total population 33.78 Scheduled Castes Population 3,99,653 Scheduled Tribes Population 3,641 Percentage to the total population 18.20 Number of Literates 14,76,256 Percentage to the total population 66.61 Number of Illiterates 7,39,882 Percentage to the total population 33.39 Number of Workers 8,97,123 Main Workers 7,50,032 Main Cultivators 1,30,950 Main Agricultural Labourers 3,00,437 Main workers in Household Industries 33,425
Main Other Workers 2,85,220 Marginal Workers 1,47,091 Marginal Cultivators 13,992 Marginal Agricultural Labourers 1,10,281 Marginal Workers in Household Industries 4,561
Marginal Other Workers 18,257 Non-workers 13,19,015 Percentage to the total population 59.52
Source: Census Handbook, Thanjavur District, Government of India, 2001.
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Population
Table 3.2 provides demographic details of Thanjavur district
according to 2001 Census, which is available for the users. According
to the 2001 census (available latest information), the total population of
the district is 22.16 lakh persons consisting of 10.96 lakh males and
11.20 females. The sex ratio worked out is 1021, which is a favourable
one. Number of households in the district is 5.01 lakhs. Average size
of the household is 4.42 persons. In the total population, exactly two-
third is living in rural areas and remaining in urban areas. Among the
total population, nearly one-fifth belongs to schedule castes and tribes.
The number of scheduled tribes is minimum since, there is no hill tract
in the district.
Two-third of the total population is literates and a vast difference
appears between the literacy rates of male and female, and also
between urban and rural population.
Total number of workers is 8.97 lakhs, which accounts for 40 per
cent of the total population and the remaining are non-workers.
Among the total workers, 84 per cent is main workers and remaining is
marginal workers. In the main workers, 40 per cent is agricultural
labourers, 17 per cent is cultivators and thenremaining is household
workers. Among the marginal workers agricultural labourers alone
accounts for 75 per cent.
Land Area
Total geographical area of the district is 3.39 lakh hectares, in
which nearly four-fifth is net cultivable land and it indicates that there
is a higher allocation of land for agricultural purposes. Common land
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in the district accounts less than 3 per cent. However, more than 18
per cent of the land is allocated for housing.
Water Resources
In the previous section, we discussed about the irrigation
facilities available in the district. The two river systems through
numerous canals cater to the irrigation needs of agriculture. They also
support either directly or indirectly the water needs of domestic and
industrial sectors. Total length of the rivers is 118 kms. and number
of main canals is 10 in the district. Number of tanks in various sizes in
the district is 1178 and ponds are 2356. They also supplement the
water needs of the people. Number of wells in the district is 3178.
3.3 Water Resources of Thanjavur District (in Nos.)
Particulars Thanjavur District
Water Resources
River (in kms) 118
Canal 10
Tanks 1,178
Ponds 2,356
Wells 3,178
Water Supply Sources
Over Head Tanks 4,024
Small Motorized Pumps 1,271
Street stand-posts 51,110
House- service Connection 73,516
Source: Assistant Director of Statistics, Thanjavur, 2011.
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Organized water supplies arranged through 4024 over head
tanks constructed in different periods. They store and deliver the water
collected through bore wells installed in the river beds or main lands.
51.1 thousand street stand-posts and 73.5 thousands house service-
connections deliver the water for the people from the above said over-
head tanks. Another, 1271 small motorized pumps, with the help of
ground water, also supplies water for domestic needs. Available data
shows that one out of seven households has house service-connection.
On an average, one street stand-post serves the water needs of 10
households and it can be also stated alternatively as one street stand-
post serves the water needs of more than 43 persons of the above said
households. Table 3.3 summarizes the details on the water resources
available in the study district.
Basic Infrastructure
Total road length in the district is 537 kms., which connects all
parts of the district. Number of industrial units, mostly smaller in size,
is 121. Number of schools in the district is 953 and higher education
institutions like colleges and universities are 35. Seventy hospitals and
187 banking institutions are creating the needs of the people. There
are 13 markets mostly located in urban areas are functioning in the
district (refer Table 3.4).
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3.4 Basic Infrastructure of Thanjavur District
(in Nos.)
Particulars Thanjavur District
Roads (Kms) 537
Schools 953
Colleges 35
Industrial Units 121
Hospitals 70
Banks 187
Markets 13
Source: Assistant Director of Statistics, Thanjavur, 2011.
PROFILE OF THE SAMPLE LOCATIONS
Previous section provides the profile of the study district and
following section will describe the profile of the sample locations of both
rural and urban areas.
Profile of the Rural Study Locations
As reported in the introductory chapter, the study considers the
drinking water status of both rural and urban areas. For the case of
rural, the study has chosen four sample villages viz. Alakudi,
Pillayarpatti, Sennampatti and Thirukkanurpatti. Table 3.5. provides
demographic details of the villages. The size of the villages in terms of
number of households varies from 281 to 1333 and size of population
varies from 1319 persons for Sennampatti to 6309 for Pillyarpatti. Sex
ratio is more than 1000 for all four villages and it is very high for
Pillayarpatti. It is worked out as 1104 for all four villages taken
together. Percentage of literates in these rural villages is 64 and it
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varies from 45 for Sennampatti to 74 per cent for Pillayarpatti (see Maps
3 and 4).
3.5 Demographic details of the Study Villages
(in Nos.)
Particulars Alakudi Pillayar-
patti Sennam
patti Thirukka nurpatti
Rural Aggregate
Total Number of Households 1,156 1,333 281 853 3,623
Total Population 3,844 6,309 1,319 4,003 15,475
Male Population 1,905 2,822 630 1,999 7,356
Female Population 1,939 3,487 689 2,004 8,119
Sex Ratio 1,018 1,236 1,094 1,003 1,104
Scheduled Castes Population 1,154 1,178 405 592 3,329
Scheduled Tribes Population - - - - -
Percentage to the total population
30.02 18.67 30.71 14.79 21.51
Number of Literates 2,424 4,689 588 2,184 9,885
Percentage to the total population
63.06 74.32 44.58 54.56 63.88
Number of Illiterates 1,420 1,620 731 1,819 5,590
Percentage to the total population
36.94 25.68 55.42 45.44 36.12
Number of Workers 1,825 2,074 603 1,965 6,467
Main Workers 987 1,873 589 1,588 5,037
Main Cultivators 248 82 123 538 991
Main Agricultural Labourers
594 573 447 770 2,384
Main workers in Household Industries
- 27 - 22 49
Main Other Workers 145 1,191 19 258 1,613
Marginal Workers 838 201 14 377 1,430
Marginal Cultivators 6 3 0 20 29
Marginal Agricultural Labourers
815 2 5 342 1,164
Marginal Workers in Household Industries
- 6 - 1 7
Marginal Other Workers 17 190 9 14 230
Non-workers 2,019 4,235 716 2,038 8,292
Percentage 52.52 67.13 54.28 50.91 53.58
Source: Census Handbook, Thanjavur District, Government of India, 2001.
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3.6 Land Area of Study Villages
(Area in Ha.)
Particulars AlakudiPillayar-
patti Sennam
patti Thirukka nurpatti
Rural Aggregate
Total Geographical Area 918 1,086 942 1,360 4,306
Net Cultivable Area 714 89 634 718 2,155
Common Land 104 105 166 487 862
Residential Area 100 892 142 150 1,284
Number of Hamlets
(In Nos.) 1 7 1 2 11
Source: Village Administrative Officer of respective study Villages, 2011.
In the total population, workers of various sectors accounts for
nearly 42 per cent and the remaining are non-workers. Among the
total workers 45 per cent is agricultural workers, 19 per cent is
cultivators, less than 1 per cent is in household industries and
remaining in other services. In the total workforce, 22 per cent is
marginal workers.
Total geographical area of the villages ranges from 942 ha. for
Sennampatti to 1360 ha. for Thirukkanurpatti and number of hamlets
of the villages ranges between 1 for Alakudi and 7 for Pillayarpatti. In
an average, the net cultivable area of these villages is 50 per cent in the
total geographical area, 20 per cent is common land and 30 per cent is
residential area. Residential area for Pillayarpatti village is high among
all the villages, since this village is located adjacent to urban area, i.e.
Thanjavur Municipality. Table 3.6 furnishes the details of the lands of
the sample villages.
Among the four sample villages, the river passes through Alakudi
village and other villages have no such resources. Sennampatti village
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has two rain-fed tanks. All the villages have two ponds each, but
Sennampatti has a maximum 5 ponds. Villages altogether have 56
numbers of wells and bore wells. These are the important water
sources of the study villages.
3.7. Water Resources and Sources in the Study Villages
(in Nos.)
Particulars Alakudi Pillayar
patti Sennam
patti Thirukka nurpatti
Rural Aggregate
Water Resources
River (In kms) 1 - - - 1
Canal 3 - - - 3
Tanks - - 2 - 2
Ponds 2 2 5 2 11
Wells 13 16 7 20 56
Drinking Water Sources
Over Head Tanks 4 12 2 14 32
Small Motorized Pumps 5 1 5 3 14
Street Stand-Posts 83 196 36 180 495
House-Service Connection 440 618 42 552 1,652
Source: Village Administrative Officer of respective study villages, 2011.
Local bodies in these villages supply water for domestic purposes.
These four villages have a total of 32 over-head tanks, which are
relatively smaller in size when compared to such tanks in urban and
semi-urban areas. Number of tanks in these villages varies from 2 to
14. Water collected in these tanks is distributed through 495 street
stand-posts and 1652 house-service connections. Density of such
deliveries is not uniform for the villages. Regarding the street stand-
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posts, number of households covered per street-post varies mostly
between 7 and 8 for three villages, and is 14 for another village,
exceptionally. Similarly, the house-service connection is available at
every two households in three villages and one village has 6.7
household per connection.
Regarding the infrastructure, these four villages have a total of
82 kms. of roads of various types, 11 schools, 3 higher educational
institutions, 2 hospitals, 1 banking institution, and 5 industrial units.
Profile of the Urban Sample Area
This section provides the profile of the urban study areas –
Thanjavur Municipality and Vallam Town Panchayat.
Thanjavur Municipality
Total population of Thanjavur Municipality is 2,15,314 persons,
residing in 48,595 households. Density of the population worked out is
5927 persons per square kilometer.
The observed sex ratio is 1,019. In the total population, schedule
castes and tribes accounts for nearly 9 per cent. Literacy rate in this
area is relatively high and is nearly 80 per cent. Only 31 per cent of the
total population comes under workforce and remaining are non-
workers. Among the total workers 96 per cent is main workers and the
remaining are marginal workers. In the main workers, cultivators and
agricultural workers account for less than 5 per cent, household
workers accounts for 6 per cent and the remaining 89 per cent is
workers in other sectors. Marginal workers are also distributed more
or less in the above said manner.
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Total geographical area of the municipality is 36.33 square
kilometers and the number of wards is 51. In the total geographical
area, 56 per cent is occupied by residents, 27 per cent by farm lands,
and 17 per cent by common land.
Some of the basic infrastructure of the municipality is discussed
below. Total road length of the municipality is 268 kms. There are 50
educational institutions ranging from elementary schools to
universities. Thirty-seven hospitals of various types are serving for the
needs of not only peoples of this municipality but also rest of the
district and adjacent districts.
3.8. Demographic details of the Urban and Semi-Urban Areas
(in Nos.)
Particulars Thanjavur Municipality
Vallam Town
Panchayat
Urban Aggregate
Total Number of Households 48,595 3,102 51,697
Total Population 2,15,314 14,816 2,30,130
Male Population 1,06,625 7,199 1,13,824
Female Population 1,08,689 7,617 1,16,306
Sex Ratio 1,019 1,058 1,022
Scheduled Castes Population 18,541 1,401 19,942
Scheduled Tribes Population 695 17 712
Percentage to the total population
8.93 9.57 8.97
Number of Literates 1,70,356 10,725 1,81,081
Percentage to the total population
79.12 72.39 78.69
Number of Illiterates 44,958 4,091 49,049
Percentage to the total population
20.88 27.61 21.31
Number of Workers 67,511 4,803 72,314
Main Workers 64,871 4,000 68,871
Main Cultivators 651 460 1,111
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Source: Census Handbook, Thanjavur District, Government of India, 2001.
3.9 Land Area of Urban Study Locations
(Area in Ha.)
Particulars Thanjavur
Municipality Vallam Town Panchayath
Urban Aggregate
Total Geographical Area 3,633 760 4,393
Net Cultivable Area 996 32 1,028
Common Land 624 213 837
Residential Area 2,013 515 2,528
Number of Wards (in Nos.) 51 15 66
Source: Commissioner of Thanjavur Municipality, Thanjavur; and Administrative Officer of Vallam Town Panchayat, Vallam.
Main Agricultural Labourers 2,259 798 3,057
Main workers in Household Industries
4,103 44 4,147
Main Other Workers 57,858 2,698 60,556
Marginal Workers 2,640 803 3,443
Marginal Cultivators 26 30 56
Marginal Agricultural Labourers 179 542 721
Marginal Workers in Household Industries
264 20 284
Marginal Other Workers 2,171 211 2,382
Non-workers 1,47,803 10,013 1,57,816
Percentage to the total population
68.65 67.58 68.58
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Fifteen number of banks belong to government, private and
cooperative sectors are functioning in the municipal area limit.
Further, four markets are selling various agricultural and fisheries
products, and products of small manufacturers to some extent.
The Puduvaru, a branch of Cauvery flows across Thanjavur
municipality for a distance of 8 kms. One canal, Grand Anaicut canal
also flows within the limit of the municipality. There are 27 tanks, 32
ponds, and 115 wells coming under the municipality limit.
The municipality has 18 over-head tanks in 51 wards. The
capacity of each tank is 2 lakh liters, which is 5 to 7 times bigger than
such tanks in rural areas. Water stored in these tanks is supplied to
the households through street stand-posts and house-service
connections. Number of street stand-post in the municipality area is
1,100. It is understood that, the number households covered per street
stand-post is 44. Number of house-service connections in the
municipality limit worked out is 26,124. House-service connection is
provided to every 1.86 households. We can state it alternatively, 54 out
of every 100 household get the house-service connection. Apart from
the street stand-posts and house-service connections, water is also
supplied through the small motorized pumps. Number of such pumps
in operation is 72. These are the important water supply sources in the
municipality area.
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3.10 Water Resources and Sources in Urban Areas
(in Nos.)
Particulars Thanjavur
Municipality Vallam Town Panchayat
Rural Aggregate
Water Resources
River (in kms) 8 - 8
Canals 1 - 1
Tanks 27 2 29
Ponds 32 6 38
Wells 115 45 160
Drinking Water Sources
Over Head Tanks 18 3 21
Small Motorized Pumps
72 16 88
Street stand-Posts 1,110 130 1,240
House-Service Connection 26,124 2,187 28,311
Source: Commissioner of Thanjavur Municipality, Thanjavur; and Administrative Officer of Vallam Town Panchayat, Vallam.
Vallam Town Panchayat
Vallam Town Panchayat is a semi-urban area under the study.
Total population of the Town Panchyat is 14,816 persons, residing as
3,102 households. Density of the population is 1949 persons per
square kilometer, and the sex ratio worked out is 1058. In the total
population, percentage of schedule castes and tribes is nearly 10.
Nearly, three-fourth of the population is literate. One-third of the total
population comes under workforce and others are dependent. In the
total workforce 83 per cent is main workers and remaining are
marginal workers. Thirty-one per cent of the main workers are either
cultivators or agricultural workers. Only one per cent of the workers is
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engaged in household industries. More than 67 per cent of the main
workers are engaged in other sectors. Marginal workers exhibit a
similar pattern of employment as in the case of main workers.
Total geographical area of the town panchayat is 7.6 square
kilometer, which is divided into 15 wards. Cultivable area of the town
panchyat accounts for 4 per cent and residential area occupies 68 per
cent of the total geographical area. Common lands of the town
panchayat is 28 per cent.
Total length of road of various types of roads of the town
panchayat is 36 kms. Number of educational institutions functioning
the area is 18. Only one hospital is available to take health care of the
people of the town panchyat. There are 4 banks functioning within the
town panchayat limit. There is one vegetable market available for the
people.
Regarding the water resources, there is no river or canal flowing
across the town panchayat area. Two tanks and six ponds support the
water needs of the people. Apart from this, there are 45 wells providing
water sources for the households of the Vallam Town Panchayat. There
are three over-head tanks constructed under organized water supply
scheme. As per the data furnished by the officials of the town
panchayats, water is supplied to the households through 130 street
stand-posts and 2,187 house-service connections. Number of
households covered per street stand-post worked out is 24. Seventy
out of 100 households get house-service connections in the town
panchayat. Above discussions are essential to understand water supply
status of both rural and urban areas of the study district.