Due to insufficient water flow from the Cauvery catchment areas, the water level of mettur dam is falling steadily. Due to this, Cauvery delta farmers are worried whether they can save the Kuruvai rice crop.

The water coming to tamil Nadu from Cauvery catchment areas in kerala and karnataka states is stored in mettur dam and used for irrigation in delta districts and drinking water needs of various districts of tamil Nadu.

On june 12 this year, chief minister M. K. stalin inaugurated the mettur dam for the irrigation of the Cauvery Delta district. On that day, the inflow into the dam was 867 cubic feet per second and the water level was 103 feet. Since then, water has been released from the dam at the rate of 10,000 cubic feet per second.

In this situation, the flow of water to mettur dam gradually reduced. As a result, the water level of mettur dam has dropped by 11 feet in the last 13 days. The water level of the dam is 94 feet as of yesterday morning. While the water flow is 223 cubic feet, water is being released at the rate of 10 thousand cubic feet.

Water is released from Kallanai into Cauvery, Vennar, Kallanai canal and Kollidam rivers for irrigation of the delta district. Reconstruction work is going on at many places along the Kallanai Canal River. Therefore, water is released at the rate of only one thousand cubic feet per second, so water is not released in various branch drains. Due to this the cultivation of kuruvai has not yet started in these irrigated areas.

Farmers in the Delta districts have gone all out in the cultivation of kuruvai, hoping for the opening of the Mettur dam. The Agriculture Department has set a target of 5.20 lakh acres for cultivation of Kurvai this year. Accordingly, the government has also announced a special bundle program for television. However, so far only 2.50 lakh acres of paddy has been planted in the delta. Now, as the flow of water to the mettur dam has decreased drastically and the water level of the dam is falling, the farmers of the delta are worried about whether there will be enough water in the Cauvery to save the Kuruvai paddy.

Monthly water distribution: Therefore, they have urged that the tamil Nadu government should approach the Cauvery River Water Management Authority to request the monthly water distribution to be given by the karnataka government to tamil Nadu in the months of june and July without delay.

Water Resources Department Engineers said:

South West Monsoon did not rain in kerala and Karnataka. However, those rains will last until the end of August. At present, they said, with the water availability of mettur dam, the occasional rains in the delta and the water from the pump sets, the cultivation of rice can be managed to some extent.
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S Venkateshwari

27/06/2023 02:30 AM