‘Declare Delta drought-hit whenever Stanley reservoir fails to feed Kuruvai’

“This permanent GO would help out the farmers as well as the agricultural workers, who are also affected a lot when a season of cultivation fails,” Swamimalai Sundara Vimalanathan of Cauvery Farmers Protection Association told DT Next.

He said that the failure of opening the Mettur dam is also a kind of natural disaster and the state government should approach the Centre for the disaster relief fund for which the elected members from the Delta region should join together and voice for the farmers in the Parliament as it is done by the members from Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Delta farmers were hopeful of water on the establishment of the Cauvery Water Management Authority this year as it would help them cultivate the cash spinning crop that is less vulnerable to pest attacks.

However, in the recent years, from 2012, the release of water became questionable due to failure of monsoon and refusal of the Karnataka government to release water. As feared, this year too, the release of water was delayed citing poor storage in Mettur reservoir.

Stating that the special package would only help a few farmers who own pumpsets, they urged to declare the Delta region as drought hit to benefit the entire farming community.

It has been a customary practice to release water from Mettur dam on every June 12 ever since the dam was constructed in 1934 and that would continue till January 28 as the irrigation season ends. By the time, the delta districts used to have Kuruvai, Samba and Thalady cultivation in an area around 13 lakh acres. According to the PWD sources, out of the total 84 years since the practice release of water came into effect, only 25 times, there were prompt release of water on the customary June 12 date and for the past 58 years, the release has been postponed.