TIRUCHY: Despite the groundwater in every district across the Delta region having started depleting, the farmers who undergo cultivation with the support of borewells are skeptical to go ahead with the cultivation. However, some are optimistic that the groundwater table will recharge after the monsoon rains predicted by the IMD.
Since there has been no water release from Mettur this year on June 12, the farmers who depend on river water have quit kuruvai cultivation, while a few farmers who undertake cultivation through borewells have started.
But frequent power cuts and the depletion of groundwater level in the entire region have resulted into shrinking of the cultivation area to less than the target of 3.50 lakh acres.
According to the Water Resource Department (WRD) survey on the groundwater level in the Delta region, the groundwater level in the month of May was shocking, as all the districts in the region had a sharp decline.
“There are several lakhs of pump sets across the state for drawing water for various purposes, but 21 lakh borewells are used for irrigation purpose among which 14 lakh pump sets are functional in the Delta districts. But the farmers need at least eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to irrigate one acre of land, and it is not possible nowadays," Cauvery V Dhanapalan, President of Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, said.
Dhanapalan further stated that despite the IMD predicting good monsoon rains, conventionally the groundwater would be recharged only when the Cauvery and its branches flow full; otherwise, the groundwater table would deplete, and this can happen this time.
He stressed that Delta would turn into a desert and even samba cultivation would be doubtful, if groundwater is not recharged in time.
District May 2025 May 2026 April 2026 Difference*
Tiruchy 5.40 6.95 6.22 –0.73
Karur 4.58 6.56 6.22 –0.33
Pudukkottai 6.94 6.74 6.36 –0.37
Perambalur 5.77 6.95 6.22 –0.53
Ariyalur 4.13 3.97 3.90 –0.07
Thanjavur 4.41 4.46 3.95 –0.51
Tiruvarur 3.29 3.47 2.89 –0.57
Nagapattinam 2.59 2.77 2.27 –0.50
Mayiladuthurai 3.34 3.30 3.06 –0.24
* (–) The difference shown is the decreased groundwater level from the surface level. All measurements shown are in metres