DHARMAPURI: Farmers in Karimangalam have reported that Groundnut cultivation in the area has been crippled by the lack of water and urged the administration to take steps to divert water from the KRP dams right canal to six lakes in Karimangalam.
Groundnut is one of the major oilseed varieties grown in Dharmapuri district. It is cultivated in an area of about 16,000 hectares across the district with a production of about 25 to 30 tonnes per hectare. In Karimangalam, groundnut cultivation has faced severe losses due to the lack of water. "With over 3,800 hectares of cultivation area in Karimangalam, most of the crops are dried or stunted due to the lack of water." farmers said and urged the administration to take steps to divert water from the right canal of the KRP to lakes in Karimangalam.
Speaking to TNIE, A Murugesan said, "The southwest monsoon contributes about 403 mm of rainfall to Dharmapuri, but so far we have received less than 20% of the expected amount. This has resulted in seven lakes across Karimangalam becoming dry and our borewells are also struggling to pump water. Only borewells below 800 ft are barely providing water and we are at our wits end. We had planted groundnuts in May and were expecting to harvest them by late July. But without rain, most of our produce is stunted."
K M Balamurugan, a farmer said, "At present, KRP dam is releasing water and the right canal of the dam will supply water to Karimangalam. Over 7 lakes are completely dry. We urge the PWD (WRD) to take steps to immediately release water through the right canal and provide water to Dindal lake and Bandarahalli lake."
When TNIE reached out to officials in the PWD(WRD), they said, "We will look into the situation and take the necessary steps. At present water is being released via KRP dam and fair share would be provided to farmers.