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SC order won't serve any purpose now: delta ryots

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

CHENNAI Feb. 7. Farmers associations in delta districts are not all enthused by the Supreme Court directive to Karnataka that it release 4,500 cusecs of water a day to save the samba crop.

When every thing has been lost, what is the use of releasing water now, they ask. The standing crop has almost withered in about 80 per cent of the cultivated area. In the remaining 20 per cent, farmers managed to save the crop with tube well supply.

Even `thaladi' (late samba), raised on about 28,000 hectares, could not be saved, as the crop needed a minimum of 10,000 cusecs for the next 15 days. So the court order would serve no purpose, the farmers contended.

It was the worst agriculture year for delta farmers within living memory. Never before had they lost both kuruvai and samba simultaneously. The crop loss, they said, would have a cascading effect.

After harvesting samba paddy, farmers used to raise gingili using available moisture on the field. This year no moisture was left.

The crop failure has also affected procurement operations by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. It did not procure a single grain in the last kuruvai season, though it kept open direct purchase centres for three months. The same will be the experience in the samba season. Though the DPCs were opened last week, the arrivals were nil.

Hundreds of temporary workers, normally employed for procurement, did not have any job, so too custom hulling mills in the districts.

Loss for entire country

The total loss, a farmers' association said, would run to more than Rs 5,000 crores — a loss not only to Tamil Nadu but to the entire country.

Thee only positive aspect in the ongoing Cauvery dispute, farmers say, is the strong legal basis on which Tamil Nadu's stand gets established.

However, what has caused heartburns to the Tamil Nadu farmers is the "whimsical attitude" of Karnataka to water release. "If they can give 4,500 cusecs now, it means there is sufficient water available in their reservoirs. Had they released water a month ago, we could have saved much more", says S.Ranganathan, general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers' Association.

Beginning can still be made

Admitting that water managers spent a good deal of the current year in court halls rather than on paddy fields, a senior government official says, a beginning can still be made now, to finalise a mutually-acceptable distress-sharing formula. Such an arrangement will come in handy to tackle similar situations that may arise in future.

The official points out that Karnataka did not agree to one such formula proposed last year despite Tamil Nadu giving its consent. "Let them come up with their own formula and put it up for discussion", says the manager.

As on date, Mettur has realised around 90 tmcft since June 1 last, a shortfall of nearly 107 tmcft. This morning, the level stood at 26.95 feet (full level 120 feet), the storage was 6.365 tmcft and the inflow, 620 cusecs.

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