4 months ago
2
With the precocious thaladi paddy harvest yet to scope the harvest signifier successful galore parts of delta region, farmers are clamouring for merchandise of further h2o from Stanley Reservoir successful Mettur.
They person been resorting to sporadic protests implicit the past fewer days, demanding merchandise of h2o for irrigation till mid-February arsenic the harvest is withering.
Release of h2o for irrigation from Mettur Dam was stopped connected the accustomed day of January 28. The dam was opened connected the customary day of June 12, 2025 for the irrigation season. Currently, astir 2,000 cusecs is released from the dam for drinking h2o purposes.
On Monday, a radical of farmers staged a roadworthy blockade astatine Vannarpettai connected Thanjavur-Tiruvaiyaru Bypass Road seeking merchandise of much h2o successful Grand Anicut (GA) Canal. The farmers complained that the harvest raised connected implicit 750 acres successful Vannarapettai, Alakudi and Karambai were withering. Police and Water Resources Department officials had to intervene and transportation them to disperse aft assuring them that their request would beryllium considered.
P. R. Pandian, wide secretary, Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam, presented a petition to the Thanjavur Collector connected the contented connected Tuesday, urging Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to bid the merchandise of 10,000 cusecs of h2o from Mettur till February 20 “to prevention the withering crops” arsenic an exigency measure.
Mr. Pandian claimed that the paddy harvest connected astir 3 lakh acres was successful information of withering for privation of water, forcing farmers to resorting to roadworthy blockades successful assorted places. “We are alert of the request to conserve the h2o disposable successful Mettur Dam. But astatine the aforesaid clip we each person the work to prevention the withering crops,” helium told reporters.
Mr .Pandian maintained that galore farmers had to spell for a precocious thaladi harvest arsenic they had to cultivate doubly owed to the harm caused to the young harvest by the dense rainfall successful October last.
According to Cauvery Dhanapalan, president, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Sangankalin Kootamaippu, astir 1.50 lakh acres of precocious thaladi harvest successful Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts required h2o for 2 much wettings this month. “The harvest is astir 60 days old. With 1 wetting, the harvest connected astir 75% of the country tin beryllium saved and the remainder of the country would necessitate different wetting,” helium said and added that farmers were expecting a spell of rainfall this period too the merchandise of h2o from Mettur.
Sources successful the WRD told The Hindu that efforts were being made to supply a wetting to the crops by releasing the constricted quantum of h2o disposable successful the barrages astatine Mayanur, Mukkombu and Kallanai. A crook strategy was being adopted to merchandise the h2o successful the GA Canal, Cauvery and Vennar.
