Farmers of the Tamiraparani River Water Protection Federation in Tuticorin sought release of water from the Tamiraparani immediately for taking up cultivation of paddy in the kar season. Even after nine days since the start of the kar season, which began on June 1, the paddy farmers had been facing water scarcity, according to C. Nainar Kulasekaran, founder of the Federation.
Even during the advance kar season, which concluded by the end of May, water from the Tamiraparani was not released adequately. Though storage level was adequate in dams and irrigation tanks to facilitate cultivation on 21,113 acres, the State government permitted release of water only to benefit 8,124 acres of agricultural lands owing to wrong calculations of the PWD officials, he said here on Tuesday.
Due to this, cultivation was not taken up on 37, 983 acres. While the officials from Tirunelveli had sought the release of water from the Tamiraparani within June 15, the district administration from Tuticorin should also recommend for the water release. During a meeting chaired by Srivaikuntam Tahsildar on May 18, the PWD officials said that it was decided to release water to Marudhur dam to benefit 12, 762 acres through the dam’s west channel and 7,785 acres through its east channel on a priority basis from June 1. But, the farmers had been disappointed since water had not been released, so far.
