MADURAI: Farmers across Madurai district are scaling down cultivation as an acute irrigation crisis deepens, with more than half of the district’s irrigation tanks running dry and groundwater levels steadily declining.
According to the Water Resources Department’s (WRD) tank storage position report, 137 of the district’s 210 irrigation tanks have recorded zero storage, underscoring the severity of the water shortage. The report shows that only three tanks have storage levels between 76% and 99%, while 69 tanks fall in the 1% to 25% category and just one tank has storage between 26% and 50%.
Senior WRD officials said the storage position reflects a worsening situation across the district, with nearly two-thirds of the irrigation tanks having dried up. The depletion of surface water has also begun affecting groundwater recharge, forcing farmers to depend largely on uncertain rainfall.
Farmer leader M.P. Raman said the drying up of more than 50-60% of the irrigation tanks has significantly impacted groundwater levels in several parts of the district. “Many farmers who depend on irrigation wells to begin cultivation are now facing severe water shortages. Wells that were once considered reliable are no longer able to meet irrigation requirements,” he said.
N Senthil Kumar, a farmer from Vadipatti block, said, “We started Kuruvai paddy cultivation using water from irrigation wells in a portion of our fields. But in recent weeks, we have had to wait for several hours after irrigating for the wells to recharge before we can resume pumping. Several wells are gradually drying up, making irrigation increasingly difficult,”
Expressing similar concerns, M Maruthupandian, a traditional jasmine and vegetable farmer from Chellampatti in Usilampatti taluk, said the shortage has forced cultivators to cut down the area under water-intensive crops.
He added “We cultivate jasmine along with vegetables such as tomato and lady’s finger. With limited water available, we have reduced vegetable cultivation by nearly 50% so that the available resources can be used efficiently and existing crops can be protected.”
Farmers said they are pinning their hopes on timely rainfall in the coming weeks to revive waterbodies and prevent further losses during the cultivation season.
