Scanty rainfall this monsoon has caused concern to farmers and water managers in the district.
The district receives an average rainfall of 287.5 mm during the North-East monsoon between October and December but so far the district has recorded just 53.5 mm.
Similarly, as against the annual average rainfall of 601 mm, it has received 315 mm. This shows a deficit of 48 per cent. There has been absolutely no rain during the last three weeks of November, a period which usually sees copious rainfall in the district.
Even the South-West monsoon did not bring much rain to the district. As against an average rainfall of 238 mm, it recorded just 129 mm.
“It is really a worrying factor. Both North-East and South-West monsoon have turned out be failure. We are closely monitoring the situation,” says A. Altaf, Joint Director of Agriculture.
According to sources, all water bodies, including PWD tanks and panchayat tanks have gone dry. There are 17 big tanks and 14 minor tanks, including Vellianai, Uppidamangalam and Jegathabi. Similarly, there are many panchayat tanks in the district and not even a single tank has water.
Tanks are supposed to be filled to the brim at this time of the year with water flow in canals such as Vangal, Pugalur, Nerur, Kattalai, South Bank Canal and Krishnarayapuram. However, there is no flow in the canals for the last one month and reopening of canals for the remaining period in the current season seems doubtful.
As per the statistics available with the Agricultural Department, just 2429 hectares, as against the target of 14,000 hectares, have been brought under paddy cultivation this season. Similarly, millet crops have been raised on just 5,800 hectares as against the target of 27,500 hectare.
It is the same situation in case of pulses too. Out of the targeted 17,000 hectares, just 3,000 hectares have been brought under pulses cultivation.
P. Sivanandam, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Karur, said that most farmers, who were apprehensive over the poor water storage in the Mettur Dam and failure of monsoon, had preferred not to take any risk.
There are 17 big tanks and 14 minor tanks in the district. All these water bodies have gone dry
