CHENNAI: The water levels in major irrigation reservoirs in the state have set the alarm bells ringing, as compared to last year, the levels have dipped from 40% to 50%. For instance, the water level in the Mettur reservoir stood at 94,670 mcft on July 18 last year, but it has now decreased to 36,145 mcft. In Bhavani reservoir, the water level was 26,877 mcft last year, while it is 15,229 mcft now.
Last year, the state received surplus water due to the southwest monsoon and inflow from Karnataka. But, this year, the situation is different. Sources said the alarming development will have a severe impact on agrarian activities in the western zone and delta districts, and most of the farmers in the delta districts have refrained from cultivating paddy during the Kuruvai season.
At the same time, the water resources department officials assured that the state has sufficient water storage in reservoirs for drinking water purposes. Sharing his concerns, K Raguraman from Tiruvarur in the tail end of the delta districts said, “The state government, due to sufficient storage level, commenced irrigation from the Mettur dam on June 12 as usual. However, owing to deficiency of southwest monsoon and low inflow from Karnataka, farmers are reluctant to pursue seasonal cultivation this year and have opted to wait for the next season.”
He further explained, “Normally, I cultivate paddy on 40 acres of land during the Kuruvai season, but this year, I did not cultivate even a single acre. Across all delta districts, nearly 3 lakh acres of land are remaining uncultivated during the Kuruvai season. Moreover, the Cauvery water has failed to reach many tail-end areas.” K Balasubramani, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, emphasised, “In the western zone, major crops such as sugarcane, betel vine, banana, and tapioca are usually cultivated. However, this year, farmers in these areas are struggling to grow crops.”
“We expect the state government will request water from Karnataka in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order. However, no step has been taken yet. Consequently, we are contemplating a march towards Karnataka, pressing our demand for water. Several farmers’ associations have expressed interest in joining us, and we are planning to embark on this journey within a week,” he said.
Meanwhile, a senior official told TNIE, “According to the court order, the Karnataka government has to provide 9.19 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water to Tamil Nadu in June. Unfortunately, Tamil Nadu has received only 2.8330 TMC, resulting in a shortfall of 6.3570 TMC. Furthermore, the average inflow of water from Karnataka during the same period last year stood at 1.11 lakh cusec, but it has now dwindled to 1,089 cusec.”
The official added, “As of Tuesday, the state’s 90 reservoirs collectively hold 87.604 TMC of water out of the total capacity of 224.297 TMC, accounting for 39.06%.”
