KOCHI: Standing in the midst of wilted cardamom plants, M L Roy, a farmer at Kalthotty in Idukki district is unable to hold his emotions. “This is the worst summer in my memory. Around 90% of my cardamom plants have wilted and I will have to replant the entire farm. It will take three years for the cardamom to give yield. I tried my best to protect the plants by bringing water in pickup trucks to irrigate the crop, But all my efforts failed. The drought has turned me into a construction worker,” he said.
A prolonged dry spell, parched farmlands, dried-up rivers and wilted crops. Kerala is grappling with the worst drought conditions in 40 years. The water level in reservoirs has depleted to worrying levels and villages in north Kerala have been hit by worsening water scarcity. There was no rain in the districts north of Thrissur for the past four months.
The Kerala Water Authority has been forced to stop pumping in many areas in Palakkad and Malappuram districts due to the drying up of water sources. The depletion of groundwater resources has added to the woes of farmers as both open wells and borewells have dried up.
Farmers in Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Thrissur, and Kozhikode are staring at a bleak future as the crops started wilting due to the non-availability of water for irrigation. Crops in thousands of acres of farmland including plantain, paddy, cardamom, pepper, vegetables, coffee and cocoa have wilted under the scorching summer heat.
A meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on May 3 assessed the drought situation and decided to initiate steps to ensure the distribution of drinking water in drought-hit areas. Agriculture Minister P Prasad has issued an order to form expert committees at the block level to assess the situation. The panel members have been directed to visit drought-hit areas and submit a report by May 9. The government is planning to approach the Centre with the data demanding to declare the state as drought-hit.
“We have allocated Rs 12 lakh to each panchayat during the past two months to ensure distribution of drinking water in drought-hit areas. If the fund is inadequate they can approach the district collector for more funds. The situation in Palakkad is worse as water sources have dried up in many areas. Though we considered releasing water from the Malampuzha dam, the storage is low and the water may not reach Ottappalam. We are relying on summer rains to tide over the crisis,” said Local Self Government Department Minister M B Rajesh.
“The paddy farmers have not been able to launch cultivation of the second crop as there is no water available for irrigation. The storage in Malampuzha dam is low. So the collector said they can’t release water for irrigation. Plantains, rubber, coconut, arecanut and vegetable plants have died up as the open wells and borewells have dried up. The dairy farmers are desperate as the milk output has decreased drastically and cows are dying due to heat stress. We are planning to hold a protest in front of district collector’s office on May 8 demanding to delcare the district as drought-hit,” said National Farmer Protection Council leader Pandiode Prabhakaran.
According to Cardamom Growers Association president Antony Mathew, cardamom production will decrease by 60% in the coming months as around 75% of the plants have wilted due to the scorching summer. “The temperature has risen to 33 degrees Celsius in Idukki which is the highest in history. The situation is worse than in 1983 when the district faced a drought situation. The ideal climate for cardamom is 22 - 25 degrees Celsius, but the temperature has risen by more than 10 degrees Celsius which has led to wilting of the plants. Even if it rains now, it will not help the farmers as we have to replant the farmlands,” he said.
“The farmers are in debt and despair as most of them have availed of agriculture loans. Small-scale farmers are forced to work as daily wage labourers to sustain their lives. Idukki has been hit by a farm disaster as the wilting of cardamom will have a long-standing impact on farmers. The lackadaisical approach of the KSEB has aggravated the crisis. Most of the farmers have installed motor pumps for irrigation, but low- voltage problem has made it impossible to operate them. Exploiting the situation some agents of step-up devices are luring farmers to buy their products,” said Reji Njallani, a cardamom farmer in Idukki.
Pineapple farmers in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts have been badly hit by the drought. The production has decreased by 50% and the size of the fruit has reduced due to adverse climate. “We have suffered around 40% loss due to the drought. Plants are wilting and the fruits are small which reduces its quality,” said Pineapple Farmers Association president James George. The scarcity of drinking water has affected Ottapalam, Chittoor and Shoranur areas in Palakkad district as pumping from Bharathapuzha has been affected. According to Kerala Water Authority, the situation will aggravate if summer rains are delayed beyond May 15. The KWA is relying on release of water from Aliyar Dam as the storage in the Malampuzha dam is low. In Malappuram also pumping stations had to be shut down due to depleting water resources. The KWA is facing difficulty in pumping operation due to low-voltage problems.
“North Kerala is facing a drought situation as there has been no rain since February. The water levels in Chaliyar and Bharathapuzha are low which has affected drinking water projects. The storage in reservoirs is also low which has affected agricultural activities. The depletion of groundwater level has led to water scarcity in interior areas,” said Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWDRM) senior scientist C P Priju.
KSEB dams
3,542.13 MCM - Max storage total
1,111.69 MCM(32%) - Effective storage
4,140.25 MU - Max capacity
Water to generate 1,316.77 MU power
Kerala rains 2023-24
3,000 mm - Annual rainfall (Longtime average)
2,025.6 mm - Rainfall in 2023-24
Irrigation dams
1,528.33 MCM - Max capacity
457.48 MCM - Storage on May 7
Water woes
The Kerala Water Authority has been forced to stop pumping in many areas in Palakkad and Malappuram districts due to drying up of water sources.
Crops in thousands of acres of farmland including plantain, paddy, cardamom, pepper, vegetables, coffee and cocoa have wilted under the scorching summer heat.
Increasing groundwater stress a concern
Though Kerala has been boasting about its abundant water resources, the harsh summer has pushed the state into a water crisis. Central Ground Water Board regional director Mini Chandran said the state has been facing water stress during summer. “Erratic monsoon, rapid urbanisation, deforestation, changes in land use patterns, pollution of water bodies and climate change have contributed to water stress. We have collected water level from across the state in April, which is under analysis. The data reflects variations in water levels,” she said.
Groundwater data 2023
5,527.28 MCM - Annual ground water recharge
5,005.27 MCM - Annual extractable groundwater resource
2,730.47MCM - Gross ground water extraction
54.55 % - Average extraction
No. of assessment units
Critical assessment units: Chittoor, Malampuzha and Kasaragod (Extraction level 90% to 100%)
Semi critical: 30 units
Stage of extraction: 70-90%
Safe category: 119 units
Stage of extraction less than 70%
Depth to water level in Kerala
Lowest: Ernakulam (0.16 metre below ground level)
Deepest: Thiruvananthapuram: 51.7 m below ground level.
The average depth of groundwater: 10 metres below ground level (85%)
No overexploited and saline assessment units in Kerala
Three blocks have deteriorated to semi-critical in 2023— Kozhikode, Sasthamcotta and Varkala
