MADURAI: A month has passed since kuruvai paddy season began, but cultivation is progressing at a sluggish pace in Madurai, Theni and Dindigul districts due to lack of irrigation water. Low storage level in Mullaperiyar and Vaigai dams has forced several farmers to rethink on taking up cultivation as uncertainty looms over release of water.
As on Tuesday, water level in the Mullaperiyar dam stood at 112.25 feet against its full capacity of 152 ft, while the Vaigai dam had 32.15 feet of water against capacity of 71 ft. Water Resources Department (WRD) officials said the combined storage in the reservoirs was around 1,733 million cubic feet (MCft), against the requirement of over 4,500 MCft for releasing water for kuruvai cultivation.
Usually, water is released from the two dams in June to irrigate the kuruvai crop in Madurai, Theni and Dindigul districts. This year, it has not been done. According to officials in the agriculture department, Madurai, paddy has been cultivated in 2,122 hectares till June-end whereas last year, nearly 7,000 hectares were covered. Officials said achieving the annual target of 6,800 hectares would be difficult if enough water is not available.
In Dindigul district, against the usual coverage of 900-1,100 hectares, only around 500 hectares have been cultivated so far. In Theni, where Kuruvai cultivation generally covers 4,800-5,000 hectares, cultivation has started in less than 1,000 hectares, officials said.
Officials in both the districts said farmers may wait until the middle of July to begin cultivation if rain boosts the level in dams and water is released. However, a further delay could force several farmers to skip the kuruvai crop and opt for the samba season beginning in September. In Madurai, farmers are set to forgo the season.
“As per the GO, water from the dams should have been released on June 1. But with the storage level remaining low, release has not happened. Farmers have not started cultivation and may shift to samba cultivation,” said farmer leader ANM Thirupathi Muthuramalingam.
Farmer leader Kurunji Kumaran cited India Meteorological Department (IMD) data and said Tamil Nadu and Kerala received deficit rainfall in June.