While a huge quantity of water released from the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur is running into the Bay of Bengal through the Kollidam river, a section of farmers in the delta districts complains that several tanks, ponds and other waterbodies were yet to receive the required inflows from the Cauvery Basin river network.
Though the officials claimed that the early opening of Mettur dam for irrigation had been utilised effectively to fill up waterbodies in the delta districts of Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai and as well as neighbouring districts such as Tiruchi, Pudukottai and Cuddalore, in reality, the situation was not so, the farmers alleged,
For instance, sufficient water flow was yet to be noticed in the ‘Cholanmaligai’ irrigation channel which branches of near Patteeswaram from the Thirumalairajan river that forms part of the Cauvery Basin river network, claimed the Patteeswaram branch secretary, Thamizhaga Uzhavar Munnani, M.Thooyavan.
This channel was the main source for around a dozen tanks and ponds located at Puduppadaiyur, Thirumetraligai, Cholanmaligai, Pampapadaiyur and other villages around Patteeswaram. Already, the Kumbakonam block had been declared as an ‘over exploited’ zone with respect to tapping of groundwater resources two decades ago, he added.
A similar situation prevailed in the Grand Anicut river network till this week wherein the officials assured that water would be released into the “Puthiya Kattalai Mettu Vaikal” (irrigation channel that feeds ayacuts in Sengipatti and surrounding areas) from the Vazhavanthankottai lake from August 10.
This announcement was made by the officials on August 7 after the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, Budalur South Unit, attached to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), announced that it would block the vehicular flow on the Thanjavur-Tiruchi National Highway at Sengipatti on August 8 by mobilising aggrieved farmers.
