PMK urges TN govt to support paddy cultivation amid Mettur water uncertainty
Chennai, June 6
Pattali Makkal Katchi president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately announce a comprehensive Kuruvai package and extend financial and infrastructural support to farmers, warning that the delayed release of water from the Mettur Dam could severely affect paddy cultivation across the Cauvery delta region.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Anbumani said the steadily declining water level in the Mettur reservoir, coupled with the absence of any significant southwest monsoon activity in the Cauvery catchment areas, has made it increasingly unlikely that water will be released from the dam on June 12, the traditional date for the commencement of Kuruvai cultivation.
Every year, water from the Mettur Dam is released into the Cauvery River to support paddy cultivation in more than 10 irrigation districts, including Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai. However, the reservoir currently holds only 41.60 TMC of water, with the water level standing at around 79 feet, far below the level considered ideal for irrigation release.
Anbumani noted that for a sustained release of water throughout the Kuruvai season, the reservoir level should exceed 90 feet and receive at least 1.5 TMC of inflow daily. He said a minimum of 12 TMC of additional storage and inflows of around 18,000 cusecs into the reservoir would be required to ensure uninterrupted irrigation.
The PMK leader also pointed out that Karnataka's major Cauvery basin reservoirs currently hold only a fraction of their combined storage capacity. According to him, the Krishna Raja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathi reservoirs together contain only 33.45 TMC of water, representing just 29.08 per cent of their total capacity of 114.57 TMC. Given these low storage levels, he said Karnataka is unlikely to release substantial quantities of water downstream.
Anbumani warned that if the Mettur Dam is not opened on schedule, the area under Kuruvai cultivation could fall below 3 lakh acres this year, compared to 6.13 lakh acres cultivated during the previous season. Such a decline, he said, would result in significant income losses for farmers and reduce employment opportunities for agricultural labourers.
To mitigate the impact, he called on the state government to encourage farmers to utilise groundwater resources and immediately roll out a Kuruvai package covering subsidised seeds, fertilisers and micronutrients.
He further demanded uninterrupted 24-hour three-phase power supply for agricultural operations and an input subsidy of Rs 5,000 per acre to support farmers facing uncertainty ahead of the cultivation season.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I am from Thanjavur and my family depends on Kuruvai paddy. It's heartbreaking to see the Mettur level so low. The government should immediately announce compensation and help with borewells. Without water by June 12, thousands of acres will lie barren. Farmers need real support, not just promises. 🙏
Anbumani is right to raise this issue. But the state government must also invest in alternative irrigation like micro-irrigation and desilting of canals. We cannot rely only on monsoons and Mettur every year. Diversification is the need of the hour. Also, power supply for agriculture must be uninterrupted as demanded. 💧⚡
The Cauvery issue is a political football between states. Karnataka never releases water on time. Every year farmers suffer. Instead of just packages, the central government must step in and ensure inter-state river water disputes are resolved permanently. We need a national water grid! 🌊🇮🇳
My father is a farmer in Nagapattinam. The uncertainty is killing us. We have already invested in seeds and fertilizers. If water doesn't come, we will lose everything. The Rs 5,000 per acre subsidy is good but it should reach farmers quickly without corruption. Also, why can't the government start cloud seeding? ☁️🌧️
Respectfully, I disagree with blaming Karnataka alone. Tamil Nadu also needs to improve water management. Many canals are silted, and irrigation efficiency is poor. Why not adopt drip irrigation for
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.