Farmers organisations of Tiruchi district have urged the government to order the release of water from Cauvery river in the irrigation canals in Tiruchi and Karur districts to meet the requirements of the standing cash crops such as banana and sugarcane.
In a representation to the district administration, Ayilai Siva.Suriyan, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India, said although water has been released from Grand Anicut for irrigation in the core delta districts, water has not been released in the irrigation canals in Tiruchi and Karur district.
Farmers dependent on the irrigation canals in Tiruchi and Karur districts were facing much hardship due to water shortage. “The delay in releasing water in the canals has caused much disappointment and concern for farmers,” he said.
Farmers who were planning to take up paddy cultivation could not do so because of the delay. Besides, banana, sugarcane, betel-vine and floriculture crops have been raised by a large number of farmers utilising the groundwater and incurring heavy expenditure to run diesel pumpsets. But since the water table has gone down, farmers were facing difficulty in irrigating the standing crops. Hence, water should be released in all the canals immediately without citing the ongoing kudimaramathu works as an excuse, he said.
The president of the farmers wing of the Tamil Maanila Congress, Puliyur A. Nagarajan, called for the immediate release water in all the irrigation canals in Tiruchi and Karur district, including Uyyakondan, Kattalai, Ayyan, Ramavathalai, Thenkarai, Vadakarai and Pullampadi canals, to save the standing cash crops. The kudimaramathu works should be completed on a war footing to enable the release of water, he said in a representation addressed to the Chief Minister.
