Nagapattinam, August 31: Farmers in Nagapattinam have urged the Tamil Nadu government to postpone the proposed water release from the Mettur Dam, scheduled for September 1, by at least 10 days. They warn that the planned 45-day supply will be insufficient for cultivating Samba rice.
Echoing concerns raised by farmers in other districts of the Cauvery Delta, they stated that the current schedule could leave standing crops without irrigation for at least 15 days before the northeast monsoon arrives.
Nagapattinam may face additional challenges, as water released from Mettur typically takes about 10 days to reach its irrigation canals. Being located at the district’s far end, farmers argue this will significantly reduce the effective availability of water in the region.
Similar concerns have also been voiced by farmers in the neighboring Thiruvarur district. P. Senthil Kumar, a farmer from Thalainayar, mentioned that the proposed water release period would not adequately meet Nagapattinam’s irrigation needs. He cautioned that if the northeast monsoon is delayed or fails after the water supply from Mettur ceases, farmers could face a severe crisis.
The northeast monsoon is crucial for agriculture in Nagapattinam, where farmers heavily rely on water from the Cauvery River. Much of the coastal district has saline groundwater, making it unsuitable for continuous irrigation.
S.R. Tamilselvan from the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association stated that the scope for Samba cultivation largely depends on the arrival of the monsoon, as water from the Cauvery River is only guaranteed for 45 days.
Amid uncertainty regarding water availability, many farmers are opting for medium-duration rice varieties with a crop cycle of about 135 days. Some are also considering shorter-duration varieties to mitigate the risk of crop loss and complete farming before irrigation becomes critically limited after January.
P. Shanmugam, the state secretary of CPI (M), emphasized that a 45-day water flow is inadequate for rice cultivation. He noted that at least 120 days of assured irrigation is necessary for Samba crops.
Sami Natarajan, the state general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Union, criticized the government for not holding consultation meetings with farmers before deciding to release water from the dam, especially when the storage level at Mettur was low and the water flow did not meet expectations.
Citing previous years of water crises, Natarajan pointed out that Mettur was opened on September 6 in 2002, September 17 in 2012, and September 20 in 2016. He urged the government to adopt a similar approach this year and release water during the second week of September to ensure limited supply during the critical phase of Samba cultivation.
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