DHARMAPURI: Farmers have expressed concern over the lack of water in all eight dams in the district, which could affect over 30,000 acres of cultivation during the sowing season.
Dharmapuri has an average cultivation area of about 2 lakh hectares. The district is heavily reliant on the rains for cultivation, and every year the district receives about 942 mm of rainfall on average.
However, last year, the district received 690 mm of rainfall. This has led to water levels dropping significantly in eight dams. Farmers are concerned as the seven (large dams) levels have dropped to 12% of their overall reserve of 4,267 mcft.
Speaking to TNIE, A Murugesan from Palacode said, "The SW and NE monsoon had failed us last year. Now, most dams do not have water. While the Echambadi dam has water, it is a very small dam. Therefore, we are concerned. So far, while summer showers have been plenty, it has not improved water reserves much."
Another farmer, M Selvaraj from Nallampalli, said, "The seven major dams (apart from Echambadi) support a cultivation area of about 33,948 acres. Now, without proper water reserves and erratic rainfall, the dam basins are devoid of water. If rains fail in the SW monsoon, the administration must request the state government to announce Dharmapuri as a drought-prone area and provide necessary compensation."
However, PWD(WRD) officials said, "With the SW monsoon picking up, we will get necessary rainfall and dam reserves will improve. Therefore, farmers need not panic. The reason water reserves are low in seven dams is the complete failure of the NE monsoon last year."
