TN farmers upset over non-release of water from Mettur

Farmers in Cauvery delta region in Tamil Nadu are worried over the latest announcement by the state government that water for ‘kuruvai’ (short-term crop) would not be released on June 12 due to low storage level at the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur.

This is the eighth time in a row that water from the Mettur dam will not be released on June 12 for short-term paddy cultivation. The date for release of water from the 86-year-old reservoir was set for June 12 keeping in mind the arrival of the south-west monsoon that usually hits Kerala on May 31 and Karnataka a little later.

The water storage at the reservoir is less than 50 feet and water is released for irrigation only if it touches 60 feet, officials said. Food Minister R Kamaraj told reporters on Thursday that water from Mettur dam will not be released due to lack of required amount of water in the reservoir.

Last year, the dam had attained its full capacity more than once due to excess release of water from dams in Karnataka following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas. Unless water is released from Karnataka dams, officials say there was no possibility of releasing water from Mettur dam for irrigation.

Sluices of Stanley Reservoir at Mettur are usually opened on June 12 to facilitate Kuruvai crops in the delta region, but the deadline has been missed for the 59th time in the 84-year-old history of the dam. Around 16 lakh acres in the 12 delta districts depend on the dam for cultivation, which has been adversely affected over the past couple of years.

Farmers while expressing displeasure at the decision not to release water from Mettur dam, want Karnataka government to respect the Supreme Court order on release of water to lower riparian state of Tamil Nadu.

Mannargudi S Ranganathan, general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, told DH that farmers may have to forget the short-term crop if water does not reach Mettur dam by July. He asked the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) to take decisions on its own and conduct a periodical assessment on storage of water in reservoirs in Karnataka.

“This year too, the monsoon has disturbed our schedule. The water can be released only if the storage of the dam can be built up to 60 ft and above. If that level has to be reached, we need water from Karnataka. If water does not reach Delta by July, then we have to just go with a single crop this season too,” Ranganathan said.

He also wants the CMB to advice farmers on the crop that they should be cultivating. “Usually, farmers in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka cultivate water-guzzling paddy and sugarcane. The board should come out with new crops to ensure effective management of water.”

P R Pandian, President, Coordination Committee of All Farmers' Associations of Tamil Nadu, also spoke on similar lines by blaming the CMB for not taking right decisions. “The CMB did not meet for three months during Lok Sabha elections and it was wrong. The functioning of the CMB has nothing to do with elections. The CMB also gave an order for release of 9 tmcft without even inspecting the dams,” he alleged.