A group of farmers from Melur and surrounding areas petitioned the Collector’s office and the Public Works Department urging them not to delay any further the release of water from Vaigai dam to the single crop region dependent on water from Periyar Main Canal.
In their petition to the Collector and PWD officials, the Mullaperiyar Single Crop Irrigation Farmers’ Welfare Association pointed out that the Mullaperiyar dam had already touched its maximum permissible storage of 142 feet while the storage in Vaigai dam was fast reaching its storage limit of 71 feet.
M. Murugan, president of the association, said that if water was not released soon, a large quantity of water would had to be unnecessarily let out as spillage on the Kerala side from Mullaperiyar dam. Stating that the single crop regions in Madurai had not received adequate water for at least two years, the association said that release of water would help in rejuvenation of water tanks fed by Periyar Main Canal. “We have requested the PWD officials not to use turn system and instead release water continuously so as to help tank irrigation,” Mr. Murugan said.
58 canal
Members of Usilampatti Taluk 58 Villages Irrigation Farmers’ Association and other farmers from the region have made an appeal to release water for the first time in the 58 canal, the construction of which was completed earlier this year after a delay of nearly two decades.
O. Sivaprakasam, deputy secretary of the association, said that it was a rare occasion after many years that Mullaperiyar dam and Vaigai dam were reaching their full capacity. “The government had built the canal at a cost of around ₹ 87 crore and after so many agitations and legal battles. Water must at least be released on an experimental basis in the canal to see if it is really working,” he said. As per the 58 canal scheme, which was intended to alleviate water crisis in the arid Usilampatti region, only surplus water from Vaigai dam can be released into the canal. “This technically means that both the Vaigai dam and the Big Tank in Ramanathapuram district must reach their full capacity,” said a senior PWD official.
However, he added that the department, keeping the availability of water in mind, was considering to send a proposal to the government to release water in the canal on a trial basis. “As per the design of the sluices, Vaigai dam must have a minimum of 67 feet of water to be released into the 58 canal,” he added.
