Tiruchy Farmers Urge Water Release as Heatwave Dries Canals, Threatens Crops

Around 15,000 acres of summer paddy have been cultivated this season, alongside extensive cultivation of cash crops such as banana, sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds, betel vine, vegetables and flowers across Tiruchy and neighbouring Karur district. However, the absence of water flow in major canals has raised serious concerns among farmers, who warn that the situation could worsen if immediate measures are not taken.

Farmers say they are currently dependent on borewell irrigation, but declining groundwater levels are becoming a major challenge. They stressed that even a limited release of water into the Cauvery and its network of 17 irrigation canals -- fed by the Mayanur and Mukkombu barrages -- would help recharge groundwater and provide temporary relief.

In several villages, hundreds of acres of flower cultivation are entirely reliant on borewells, with water levels reportedly dropping sharply due to the prolonged dry spell. Farmers have warned that without canal water flow for at least a few weeks, sustaining crops until mid-June will be difficult.

Banana growers have also flagged the need for consistent irrigation, noting that the lack of water in channels such as the Mettu Vaikkal has placed crops under severe stress.

With temperatures soaring, farmers said both agricultural activity and daily life have been affected, intensifying the urgency for water release. Water has not been supplied to irrigation canals since late January, following the closure of the Mettur Dam for delta irrigation. This has led to a steady depletion of groundwater reserves, triggering drinking water shortages for both farmers and livestock in rural areas.

Traditionally, a regulated flow of water is released into the Cauvery during the summer months to support irrigation canals either continuously or on a rotational basis. However, farmers allege that this practice has not been followed in recent years, with available water being diverted for drinking water schemes and lift irrigation projects elsewhere.

With storage levels in the Mettur reservoir currently adequate, farmers have urged the state government to prioritise the release of water into the Cauvery system until the end of May. They also called on district authorities to escalate the issue, warning that timely intervention is critical to sustain agriculture and stabilise groundwater resources.

- IANS