MADURAI: With 15 days of the Kuruvai cultivation season already elapsed, farmers in Madurai are unlikely to take up paddy cultivation this year as water storage levels in the Vaigai and Mullaiperiyar dams remain insufficient to support irrigation.
According to the department, around 45,000 acres in Sholavandan, Vadipatti, and Kallandhiri blocks have been earmarked for Kuruvai paddy cultivation this season.
“Kuruvai cultivation generally starts in June and continues until September. Even after nearly three weeks into the season, farmers have not initiated cultivation activities,” said farmer leader Kurunji Kumaran from Madurai.
Meanwhile, officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD) said the Vaigai dam has begun receiving inflows following rainfall in its catchment areas.
The storage level at the dam, which stood at 21.29 feet on June 1, rose to 28.08 feet on June 16. Officials expressed hope that continued rainfall in the catchment areas could further improve storage levels and potentially aid irrigation prospects in the coming weeks.