Cauvery delta farmers hopeful of bumper crop as water level rises in Mettur dam
Salem/Thanjavur: As the water level in Mettur reservoir further soared to 94.250 feet, the mood among lakhs of farmers in the Cauvery delta districts turned buoyant.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s annoucement in the assembly on Thursday that the Mettur dam will be opened on the Independence day,( 15 August) for irrigating the samba crops renewed hopes of a harvest in the delta region this year.
The water released from the Mettur reservoir in Salem district irrigates the paddy farms in 12 delta districts of Tamil Nadu. Every year, the massive shutters of the Mettur dam are lifted on 12 June and water is discharged till 28 January to irrigate the farm lands. This June, storage in the dam was woefully poor and the eager farmers were forced to miss the much-awaited 12 June release of water.
However, the monsoon picked up momentum over the last fortnight. Storage in Mettur now stands at a comfortable 57.664 tmc while the dam is just 26 feet short of reaching its full height of 120 feet. The inflow into the reservoir was about 22,120 cusecs.
According to the Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Committee secretary, Swamimalai Vimalnathan, the Chief Minister’s announcement has brought cheers among the farmers who were getting ready for the Samba cultivation.
Tamil Nadu Farmers Association’s Thanjavur district president R. Sugumaran said the government should immediately release the water without waiting till 15 August. The ground water in delta region has plunged to 200 feet and the immediate release of water from the Mettur dam will help recharge the ground water, according to him.
Pointing out that water did not reach the tail-end areas last year, Sugumaran urged the government to take measures to ensure that water reaches the tail-end areas this year.
Meanwhile, following the announcement made by the Chief Minister to release water from Mettur Dam on August 15, food minister R. Kamaraj said that the timely release of water could bring down rice prices across the state.
“While the price of rice is already being kept under control by the state government, timely supply of water could further boost production and bring down prices of the essential commodity,” minister Kamaraj told Deccan Chronicle.
He pointed out that atleat 12 lakh hectares of land was being used for cultivation in the Cauvery delta region making the region largest producer of rice in the state. “While the state government does procure a sizable quantity of rice from delta farmers, they also supply to the private market depending on whichever is profitable to them,” the food minister said.
The state government’s decision to release water from Mettur dam is expected to benefit farmers in Thanjavur, Tiruchy, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Ariyalur and other districts that fall under the Cauvery delta region.
