Delta farmers hope TN govt will open Mettur dam on June 12

TRICHY: Rainfall for the past couple of days and the steady inflow of water to Mettur dam has raised the hopes of farmers in delta districts to carry out kuruvai paddy cultivation, provided the DMK government opens the dam on the customary June 12 this year too.
Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Association has put forth the demand before chief minister M K Stalin to check the feasibility of opening the sluice gates of Stanley Reservoir to go ahead with the kuruvai cultivation on 3.37 lakh acres in Cauvery delta zone (CDZ) comprising Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and parts of Trichy, Ariyalur, Cuddalore and Pudukkottai districts.
In a letter to the chief minister, president of the association S Vimalanathan said that the increase of water level in the Mettur reservoir above 95 feet and the rainfall in catchment areas of Cauvery river set the things right to take up the kuruvai cultivation on time this year.
“With the prediction of good rainfall in southwest monsoon and the rainfall for the past two days, the distressed farmers in delta districts started preparatory work for kuruvai cultivation because they are in desperate need of money flow after being deprived of income due to the second wave of Covid-19,” said Vimalanathan.
The association cited the meeting of the minister for water resources Duraimurugan in Thanjavur on May 15 with the farmers’ association leaders and his assurance to take up the suggestions of majority of the farmers to open the dam on June 12 with the chief minister.
“Besides the water flow due to the rain in the catchment areas, the state government should insist the Karnataka government to give their due share of water for February, March, April and May to comfortably store the water for the irrigation,” said Vimalanathan.
Moreover, the farmers’ association asked the chief minister to make the announcement by May 27 so that all the farmers can take up the preparatory works such as readying the field, gathering seeds etc.