Mettur Dam to be opened for cultivation of short-term crop on June 12

For the first time in over a decade, the sluice gates of the 86-year-old Stanley Reservoir in Mettur will be thrown open on June 12 (Friday), the customary date for the opening of the dam, for irrigation in the fertile Cauvery Delta region.

In 2011, the dam, for the first time in the history of free India, was opened on June 6, almost a week ahead of the traditional date for opening. The last time the dam opened on June 12 was in 2008. Mettur dam is the lifeline of lakhs of farmers in the Delta region that is spread across Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, and parts of Pudukkottai districts.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is expected to throw open the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir, built in 1934 during the British regime, on Friday.

Opening of the dam on June 12 is music to the ears of lakhs of farmers as they hope to cultivate kuruvai (short-term) crop in an area of about 5 lakh acre for the first time since 2011. The area shrunk to just over 1 lakh acres in the past few years due to non-release of Cauvery water in June -- only farmers who have borewell connection could cultivate the short-term crop.

The task of opening the dam on June 12 could be achieved this year due to good rains in the state and in the catchment areas of Cauvery in Karnataka, from where the river begins its journey before it merges into the sea near Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu.

The dam’s water level has been hovering around 100 feet – the maximum capacity is 120 feet – for the past six months, which according to farmers, is a good sign as they can get uninterrupted supply for cultivation of kuruvai (short-term crop). At 4 pm on Thursday, the dam’s water level stood at 101.70 feet and water storage at 67.089 tmcft.

‘Cauvery’ Dhanapalan, General Secretary of Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Association, told DH that cultivation of paddy in an area of 5 lakh acres would ensure production of 10 to 15 lakh tonnes of food grain. “Also, cultivation of kuruvai crop will ensure that people get employment even during the Covid-19 crisis, besides taking care of the food security in difficult times,” Dhanapalan said.

‘Mannargudi’ S Ranganathan, general secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, said release of water from Mettur Dam on June 12 is “rarest of the rare occasion” and expressed the hope that the South-West Monsoon’s behaviour in catchment areas would be favourable for farmers.

“We are in a very good season and I am really happy that the dam is being opened on June 12 after a very long time. We just hope we get uninterrupted supply of water for irrigation till kuruvai is completed,” Ranganathan, one of the first to take the Cauvery river water sharing issue to the Supreme Court, told DH.

Dhanapalan also said the government should ensure that the water released from Mettur reaches all tail-end areas in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarur districts, which still remains a challenge.

“The government has taken the right step of desilting lakes and water bodies, but the amount allotted is not sufficient. When all other industry has shut during the Covid-19 lockdown, it is only farmers who entered the field to ensure people continue to have food on their plate. Water should reach every tail-end area in the region and the government should ensure this,” Dhanapalan said.

June 12 was set as the date for opening the sluice gates of Mettur dam decades ago, keeping in mind onset of South-West monsoon in Kerala on May 31 and a few days later in Karnataka. This would ensure that the sowing is over by the end of June and the short-term crop can be harvested in early October.