The Melamunneerpallam tank is bone dry near Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli. | Photo Credit: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN
With the south-west monsoon active only along the Western Ghats, farmers whose houses are far from dams and main irrigation channels are not planting rice this ‘kar’ season for fear of losing their crops due to lack of water.
After the southwest monsoon, which usually starts in June the first week of every year and lasts until August, it leaves the district during June and only appears in July, with the hope that the rains for two months are still abundant. However, this hope was also rejected as no rainfall was recorded in the district while the catchment area of Papanasam and Manimuthar Dam recorded significant rainfall.
As a result, the water level in the Papanasam Dam rose to 110.80 feet on Tuesday, which was only 71.50 feet on the same day last year. Also, the water level in Manimuthar Dam, the largest reservoir in the district, was at 73 feet on Tuesday against 44.39 feet on the corresponding date last year.
Due to this, water is being released from Papanasam and Manimuthar Dams in all major irrigation channels in Tamirabharani basin this year for ‘kar’ paddy cultivation. While almost all the farmers who own land in North Kodaimelazhagiyan, South Kodaimelazhgiyaan, Nadhiyunni and Kannadiyan Channels have grown paddy in the belief that they will get a good harvest with the water available in the dam, only a few farmers have farms near Kodagan, Tirunelveli and Palayam Channels. have entered for ‘kar’ paddy cultivation this year.
As there has been no rain in the plains during this southwest monsoon and more than 1,000 out of 1,200 odd irrigation tanks in the district – both systemic and non-systemic – are now dry. Therefore, most of the farmers in Kodagan, Tirunelveli and Palayam Canal areas are not sure of getting water till the end of the paddy season.
“Though water was released from Manimuthar and Papanasam Dams for ‘kar’ paddy cultivation in June this year after the monsoon started in Kerala on the other side of the Western Ghats in June on a positive note, the farmers have lands far away from the dams did not start operations farming for this paddy season immediately because we want to see if the monsoon is strong and widespread.When the monsoon is gone even in June, most of the farmers decided not to take the risk this year , the rest grew barren,” said farmer S. Maharaja Palayamkottai.
Although the Agriculture Department has set a target for planting rice this ‘kar’ season in over 25,000 hectares in Tirunelveli district, current trends indicate that the target may not be achieved due to erratic monsoons.
The situation in Thoothukudi district, which has a cultivated area of 44,000 hectares under the Tamirabharani basin, is also similar where only a section of farmers who have land close to irrigation canals have planted ‘kar’ rice, but others are not ready to take it. possibility. And, the farmers in the back area have also abstained from ‘kar’ farming operations even though they have land near irrigation canals.
In Tenkasi district, farmers with lands close to the Chittar basin are engaged in active farming operations, while farmers in the northern part of the Basin are taking risks by relying on water from their wells and also hoping for rain this monsoon.
However, the situation in Kanniyakumari district is encouraging as almost all the irrigation tanks and canals are full of water, due to the active southwest monsoon in the neighboring districts. In the absence of agricultural land below the Thovaalai Channel, agriculture has moved to the highest in Kanniyakumari district this year as the major breach in Thuvachchi below the Thovaalai Channel has not been repaired.
