THANJAVUR: Even as the Mettur dam has been receiving copious inflow following heavy rains in catchment areas of the Cauvery, delta farmers are demanding stepping up of release from the dam for paddy cultivation.
Following comfortable storage, water from the dam was released on May 24, well ahead of the stipulated date of June 12, for Kuruvai paddy in delta districts.
Following this, farmers have taken up Kuruvai cultivation in full swing. According to Agriculture Department officials in Thanjavur district, Kuruvai paddy transplantation is over on around 50,000 hectares until now. Nurseries for transplanting are ready in additional 16,000 hectares.
Officials said coverage this year will be equal to last year's 66,484 hectares, which was a 48-year record. The department is expecting farmers to go in for Samba cultivation from the first week of August. Kuruvai and Samba used to be cultivated in a total area of 1,40,000 hectares.
Hence, Samba coverage will vary based on the Kuruvai coverage, officials added. Meanwhile, inflow into Mettur dam has been copious in the last few days. The inflow, which was a meagre 2,141 cusecs on July 9, increased to 98,208 cusecs on Wednesday. The level in the dam also increased from 98.68 feet to 105.81 feet (72.57 TMC) during the same period.
However, release from Mettur for irrigation in delta districts has been increased only from 12,000 cusecs to 15,000 cusecs. The increase was effected only on Tuesday. "Water is not available in tail-end areas of Grand Anaicut canal, like Madukkur, Vadachery and even in some parts of Orathanadu for Kuruvai," R Sukumaran of Kakkarai said.
Hence, he wanted an increase in water release from Mettur and release of at least 3,500 into Grand Anaicut canal from Kallanai. To aid this, water release from Mettur should be increased to 25,000 cusecs instead of the current 15,000 cusecs.
P Sukumar, a farmer from Tiruvaiyaru area who cultivates paddy using water from Kudamuruti, a branch of the Cauvery, said water is being released into the Cauvery and the Vennaru from Kallanai in turns -- for five or six days, water is being let into the Cauvery and release into the Vennaru is being stopped; for the next five or six days, release into the Cauvery is stopped and Vennaru gets water.
By withdrawing more water from Mettur, water could be released every day into both the Cauvery and the Vennaru from Kallanai, he added.
NV Kannan, a farmer from Budalur area, said water is yet to be released into Uyyakkondan extension canal and Kattalai High Level Channel and wanted immediate release of water into these canals. When contacted, Water Resource Department officials told The New Indian Express that the government is actively considering the demand of the farmers to increase water release from Mettur.