The water level at the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur that stands at 100 feet has enthused lakhs of farmers in the Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu. The farmers hope water from the reservoir will be released on June 12, the scheduled date of opening of the dam, for the first time in eight years to facilitate the cultivation of kuruvai (short-term crop).
The date for the release of water from the 87-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.
Due to low storage at the Mettur dam, water was not released in June from 2012 to 2019 – the sluices of the reservoir were opened on July 19 in 2018 and on August 13 in 2019.
The water level in the dam has been hovering around 100 feet for the past few months and recent rains in catchment areas have raised hopes of more water reaching the reservoir -- the inflow at Mettur dam on Sunday was 1,252 cusecs even as the water level stood at 100.03 feet.
Kuruvai (short-term crop) is cultivated in more than 5 lakh acres in the Cauvery Delta region, benefitting 15 lakh farmers. However, the area shrunk to just 1 lakh acres in the past few years due to non-release of Cauvery water on time -- only farmers who have borewell connection were cultivating kuruvai.
“Release of water in June would mean farmers going in for kuruvai in 5 to 6 lakh acres of land. And the atmosphere is conducive this year for water to flow from Mettur in June. Ideally, the government should release water from Mettur on June 9 this year so that it reaches the Grand Anaicut on June 16 and can be released for farmers’ use,” ‘Mannargudi’ S Ranganathan, general secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, told DH.
This will ensure that the sowing is over by the end of June and the short-term crop can be harvested in early October without having to depend on the monsoon. “If all goes well, Cauvery Delta will have a bumper kuruvai harvest this season. We hope to cultivate and harvest kuruvai crop on time for the first time in nine years,” Ranganathan added.
P R Pandian, President of Tamil Nadu All Farmers Organisations Committee, says the government should ensure that the water is released on June 12 or a week before that to ensure kuruvai is taken up at large scale for the first time since 2011, when the sluices of Mettur Dam was opened on June 6.
“Though we have all been affected by COVID-19 lockdown, the water level in Mettur is very good news for us. The water level standing at 100 feet means a lot for the farmers who are hoping to cultivate and harvest kuruvai on time,” he added.
Though the decision on the opening of Mettur dam is taken by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, the agriculture department is getting ready by stocking up seeds and fertilizers.
“The water level in Mettur dam is very good and water can be released for cultivation. The department is ready to assist farmers to take up cultivation. As far as the release of water is concerned, the decision has to come from the top,” a senior official told DH.
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