40-day release not enough: Ayacutdars

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami ordering the release of water for 40 days from Sathanur dam has irked farmers in the tail end areas as they fear they will not get any supply.

The release of water from January 23 till March 3 was ordered after a group of farmers near Thandarampattu sought water as their standing crop was withering due to lack of rain and water unavailability. Collector KS Kandasamy held talks with PWD and Revenue officials in this regard and informed the government, following which, the CM ordered the release.

However, sources revealed that as the dam currently had water to a depth of 96.30 feet against the full tank level (FTL) of 119 feet and as its water spread area was also only 3,235 mcft against 7,321 mcft, water release for 40 days would only benefit 10,043 acres of the dam’s total ayacut of 50,000 acres in both Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts.

Officials conceded that releasing more water was not possible as the dam’s dead storage and the need for combined water supply schemes had to be considered. The dams, right bank canal (RBC) and left bank canal (LBC) cover an ayacut of 19, 463 acres in Tiruvannamalai district and 30, 537 acres in Villupuram district.

Officials agreed that only 88 irrigation tanks would receive water due to the release based on which the ground water table in surrounding areas was expected to be recharged.

The current plan is to release 150 cft water per second in the LBC and 200 cft in the RBC to benefit 7,543 acres in both districts. This added to the old ayacut in Tirukoilur in Villupuram district, which will receive 600 mcft in three instalments to benefit 2,500 acres and will thus cover only 10,043 acres of the original 50,000 acres ayacut.

“Thus, the tail end areas will not benefit as the surface flow will not reach them and hence planning for agricultural operations without water will be suicidal,” said farmers’ association sources.