Chennai , 29 August (H.S.): Farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta have expressed concern over the adequacy of water in the Mettur reservoir ahead of its scheduled opening for samba paddy cultivation on September 1.

Thirteen delta districts, including Thanjavur, widely known as the ‘rice bowl of Tamil Nadu’, depend heavily on water released from the Mettur dam for irrigation. Traditionally, the dam is opened on June 12 every year to support kuruvai cultivation, provided the water level is at least 90 feet.

However, the reservoir level stood at only 79 feet in early June this year, preventing the authorities from releasing water on the customary date. Consequently, farmers dependent on Cauvery water were unable to undertake kuruvai cultivation. Only those with access to groundwater could raise the crop.

As a result, the area under kuruvai cultivation declined sharply from 5.66 lakh acres last year to 3.78 lakh acres this year. Farmers had pinned their hopes on an adequate water release for the forthcoming samba season.

The Tamil Nadu government has now announced that the Mettur dam will be opened on September 1 for samba cultivation. Chief Minister Joseph Vijay is expected to visit the dam and formally inaugurate the release. Preparations are under way, with reports indicating that water will be supplied for 45 days.

As of Friday evening, the water level in the reservoir stood at 89.72 feet, with storage of 52.33 thousand million cubic feet. Farmers fear the available reserve may not be sufficient to maintain irrigation for the announced period.

They point out that between 15,000 and 20,000 cusecs must be released daily for Cauvery water to reach the tail-end areas of the delta. With the southwest monsoon failing to provide adequate rainfall, uncertainty also surrounds the northeast monsoon, which usually begins towards the end of October.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman