NAGAPATTINAM: Farmers in Nagapattinam, reiterating the views of those in other delta districts, have urged the state government to postpone the release of water from the Mettur dam on September 1 by at least 10 days. They reasoned that 45-day water release from September 1 would leave paddy crops without irrigation for at least 15 days before the onset of northeast monsoon.
Nagapattinam, being a tail-end district, would face particular difficulties, farmers said, as water released from Mettur would take around 10 days to reach the district. Farmers said similar concerns prevailed in Tiruvarur. “Releasing water from September 1 and limiting the supply to 45 days could leave crops without irrigation for at least 15 days before the northeast monsoon sets in,” said farmer P Kamal Ram from Thalainayar. “The proposed duration of release would not be sufficient to meet Nagapattinam’s irrigation needs.”
Farmers questioned how they would cope if the northeast monsoon failed, and sought an explanation from the government for its decision to release water just for 45 days.
Northeast monsoon is crucial for farming in Nagapattinam, where much of the agriculture depends on Cauvery water, as groundwater in most parts of the district is saline and inadequate.
“The extent of samba cultivation would depend largely on the onset of the northeast monsoon, given that Cauvery water will be released for only 45 days. But what if the northeast monsoon fails,” said S R Tamilselvan of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association.
With concerns over water availability, farmers are also opting for medium-duration paddy varieties of around 135 days for the samba season to reduce the risk of water scarcity. They said shorter-duration varieties could help farmers complete the crop cycle before the availability of irrigation water becomes critical after January.CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said 45 days of water would be insufficient for paddy cultivation. He said samba crop required at least 120 days of assured irrigation and that restricting the release to 45 days has confused the delta farmers.
Sami Natarajan, state general secretary of TN farmers association pointed out that when the storage level in Mettur has been low and inflow was not as expected, the government ought to have convened consultation meetings with farmers to decide on opening of the dam. The government should take into account that during the years of deficit, Mettur was opened on September 6 in 2002, on September 17 in 2012, and on September 20 in 2016. Based on this, the Mettur dam could be opened during the second week of September for irrigation, he said.