CHENNAI: Citing that Cauvery water is yet to reach the tail-end areas in Delta districts, even after 20 days of its release from Mettur on June 12, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami said that failure on part of the State government to complete proper desilting of the waterways is adversely affecting farmers in the region.
Without carrying out any desilting or clearing of the waterways, Chief Minister MK Stalin released Cauvery water from the Mettur reservoir for irrigation 20 days ago, the AIADMK chief said, claiming that the farmers in Muthupettai, Thiruthuraipoondi, and Kottur unions in Tiruvarur district, Thalainayeru and Vedaranyam blocks in Nagapattinam district, and Peravurani, Pattukottai, and Madukkur blocks in Thanjavur district are yet to receive water for irrigation.
Farmers are dismayed by the prevailing situation, as they are unable to undertake agricultural activities on a full scale despite the Mettur reservoir brimming with water, he said, condemning the DMK regime for what he called “inefficiency.” The left farmers are left in a hapless state, he added.
Though surplus water from Mettur reservoir is reaching the seashore, it is not flowing into the tail-end areas downstream, prompting farmers in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts to stage protests, he said, urging the government to take immediate corrective measures to ensure the free flow of Cauvery to the tail-end areas of the Delta region.