MADURAI: With just a few weeks remaining before the commencement of the Samba paddy cultivation season, farmers are still hesitant in engaging in preparatory works in Madurai. As the water at Periyar dam continues to be below 125 feet, which is comparatively lower than the last two years, farmers fear a delay in the release of water to the Vaigai River. Earlier, farmer leader PR Pandian had pointed out the issue and requested the state government to address them before the season commences.
The second crop or Samba cultivation season takes place from September to January in Madurai. This year, according to sources, more than 45,000 hectares of land are likely to be used for paddy cultivation. And in retrospect, the preparatory works commence after August 15 every year, sources added.
According to the reservoir data, the Periyar dam storage as of Tuesday was at 121.05 feet, which is much lesser compared to the storage in the past two years. "Last August, while the storage of the dam stood at 138.8 feet, due to the lack of rainfall in the catchment areas, the dam storage in Periyar this year is very low," the data revealed.
Accordingly, considering the low storage, water was not released for the first crop from the dam, which greatly affected the Kuruvai (first paddy crop) season earlier this year, sources said, adding that this has triggered fear in the farmers during the second crop too. Meanwhile, official sources stated that water will be released for the second crop based on the dam's storage, which relies on the rainfall in the catchment areas of Vaigai.
According to the agriculture department, the Kuruvai acreage had fallen by 7,000 hectares compared to the previous year, owing to insufficient water released in the Vaigai River. Only slightly more than 1,400 hectares of land was used for the first crop paddy cultivation in Madurai, official sources said.
With the district witnessing consecutive days of rainfall, the farmers are still hesitant to begin the preparatory works for the commencement of the Samba season. A farmer from Madurai said, usually, water is released from the Kuruvai season itself, which enables farmers to begin the preparatory works such as ploughing in August following spells of rain. "The preparatory works are then followed by direct sowing methods by the end of August before the second crop commences by September. However, this year, since Vaigai has remained parched even after the onset of August despite consecutive days of rain, we are unsure of starting the season as we are not sure of the arrival of Vaigai water," he said.
Pandian said the state government should take measures to maintain water in the Vaigai River and increase the height of the Periyar Dam to increase its storage capacity. "The current water level is not sufficient to carry out Samba preparatory works. Chief Minister MK Stalin must organise a meeting with officials to address the situation," he added.
While speaking, joint director (i/c) of the agriculture department Suburaj said, "Though the city is witnessing copious rainfall in other areas, including Usilampatti, the outer areas have not received much rain. "After the onset of rain, the farmers will begin ploughing works and will carry out sowing based on the arrival of rain and Vaigai water. Though the acreage of paddy cultivation took a fall during the Kuruvai season, the acreage for the Samba season is likely to remain high. Seed sale is being done in a paced manner. Farmers might start works for the season during late August and September."