Already unsure of the availability of adequate water for the current samba and thalady paddy crops raised on several lakh acres in the delta region, farmers are aghast at the continued supply of water for the upper reaches of Salem district in contravention of established rules and regulations.
The delayed opening of Mettur Dam, on October 2, necessitated a paradigm shift in the delta paddy cropping pattern.
While direct sowing and reverting to medium duration crops were taken up on a largescale in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts, the drought, and then a heavy downpour in the first week of November, devastated many areas, particularly in coastal Nagapattinam and pockets of Tiruvarur districts.
This year, delta farmers have raised samba and thalady on roughly eight lakh acres and the crops will be ready for harvest from the last week of January to the third week of March. The standing paddy crops require a maximum of six more wettings. Crops in some areas may need lesser number of wettings. But with the northeast monsoon slated to withdraw by next week, the demand for water is high.
“To our shock, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has ordered release of water to feed his constituency in Salem district. This is in brazen contravention of the established rules, when till January end at least water must be released only for the delta irrigation requirements. Tweaking irrigation management strategy to suit an individual or a group’s political needs will result in huge and irreparable loss to the farming scene as a whole,” said V. Jeevakumar of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Repercussions
“If for any reason the standing samba and thalady fail to deliver for want of adequate water, the repercussions will be hard to stomach,” he added.
“Absence of a strong and mature political leadership in the State is wreaking havoc in various spheres, and the time-tested water management is also suffering now. Water supply is now being done at the whims and fancies of the Chief Minister, which is rather bad,” rued Mannargudi S. Ranganathan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.
The quantum of water stored in Mettur Dam will not last till the end of February or the first week of March to meet the needs of delta farmers, who raised samba and thalady paddy crops late in the day following the delayed opening of Mettur Dam.
“Around eight lakh acres need to be irrigated and that’s no child’s play,” Mr. Ranganathan pointed out.
