NAGAPATTINAM: Terming the timing of the release of Mettur water as untimely, the farmers in the delta said the released water would not be sufficient, as it won’t reach the tail-end districts.
Nagapattinam, being a tail-end district, faces particular difficulties as water released from Mettur takes around 7 to 10 days to reach the district. The farmers said the district’s dependence on Cauvery water is particularly high as groundwater in several parts is saline and inadequate, making the northeast monsoon crucial for Samba cultivation.
P Kamal Ram, a farmer from Thalainayar, said a discharge of 20,000 cusecs initially, followed by at least 10,000 cusecs, needs to be maintained for 60 days to give farmers a reasonable chance of raising Samba crops. He said such a discharge would enable the water to reach Nagapattinam in a week, whereas it will take at least 10 days for the water to reach the tail-end as per the current release pattern.
The water was initially released at 3,000 cusecs when the dam was opened, with the discharge expected to be increased later in the day. The release came amid opposition from the farmers saying that it should be postponed at least till September 10, as 45-day water release from September 1 would leave paddy crops without irrigation for at least 15 days before the onset of the northeast monsoon. The farmers also said the initial release would only help wet the irrigation channels, which had completely dried up during the prolonged summer.
S R Tamilselvan of TN Farmers Protection Association said the Water Resources Department’s 45-day release would make Samba cultivation largely dependent on the northeast monsoon. “If the monsoon fails, Samba too could meet the fate of Kuruvai,” he said, urging the government to increase the discharge to 22,000 cusecs.
Farmers also questioned if the 45-day release itself could be sustained, pointing to the Mettur dam’s level of 91 ft on the day of opening, and saying the present discharge could potentially continue for only around 30 days before the level falls to 60 ft.
With uncertainty over water availability, farmers are opting for medium-duration paddy varieties of 135 days for Samba to reduce the risk of water scarcity later in the season. They said shorter-duration varieties would help farmers complete the crop cycle.