Tamil Nadu inundated, parched at same time

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu poses a contrasting picture with more than 10,000 hectares of farmland submerged in the western districts of Erode, Theni and Nilgiris while over 20,000 hectares in eastern districts like Pudhukkotai, Thiruvarur, Cuddalore and Nagappatinam don’t have adequate water supply for irrigation due to poorly maintained canals.

Farmers have suffered heavy losses in the upper Cauvery basin and the state agriculture department has reached out to them asking them to submit insurance claims. On the other hand, in the tail-end districts of Cauvery delta they are yet to get water released from Mettur, according to the delta farmers’ association members.

“More than seventy percent of the tail-end areas in the four delta districts are yet to get Cauvery water despite heavy discharge by Karnataka,” said Arupathy P Kalyanam, general secretary, Federation of Farmers Associations, Tamil Nadu.

“Cauvery water is flowing now only through rivulets; even arterial canals are not drawing water as the river bed has become shallow due to illegal mining of river sand,” he said, adding there is a need for an integrated project which would address the issues related to the flow of river Cauvery, Vennaru and Kollidam canals.

Meanwhile, DMK MLAS in the delta region have now joined the farmers in staging protests to demand release of Cauvery water. “The entire Pudhukkottai district is suffering without water for irrigation. The state has failed to strengthen the bunds,” said S Regupathy, DMK MLA of Thirumaiyam constituency in Pudhukkottai. .

However, a senior state official said the strengthening of bunds is being taken up in areas beyond the Trichy region. “State ministers and a batch of PWD engineers are looking at this issue closely,” the official added.