Farmers seek steps to get T.N.’s share of Cauvery water from Karnataka

Farmers representatives of Tiruchi district have urged the State government to take steps to get Tamil Nadu’s due share of water in Cauvery from Karnataka to meet the water requirement for the samba paddy season.

Raising the issue at the monthly farmers grievances meeting, P.Ayyakannu, president, Desiya Thennindiya Nadigal Innaippu Vivasayigal Sangam and P.Viswanathan, president, Tamil Nadu Eri Mattrum Attru Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam, contended that the present storage at the Mettur dam would not be adequate to meet the water requirement for the entire samba season in the delta region.

Pointing out that the dam had just about 62 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet of water as on Friday, Mr. Ayyakannu said this would not last long and wondered whether farmers in Tiruchi district could go for samba paddy cultivation with confidence.

“The water has reached the tail-end areas of many canals only over the past few days. We need water for another 90 days,” he said.

Describing the Cauvery Water Management Authority as “toothless,” Mr. Viswanathan demanded its disbanding. Karnataka, he said, had to release more than 80 tmc to Tamil Nadu.

Chief Minister M.K.Stalin should take talk to his Karnataka counterpart to persuade him to release water to Tamil Nadu, he said.

Later, Mr.Viswanathan led a demonstration by a group of farmers in front of the Collector’s office calling for effective steps to get water in Cauvery from Karnataka.

N.Veerasekaran, State secretary, Bharathiya Kisan Sangam, urged the Water Resource Department to step up release in the irrigation channels to ensure adequate flow for samba cultivation.

Mr.Ayyakannu and Ayilai Sivasuriyan, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the CPI, expressed concern over the pollution caused to the Cauvery river due to discharge of urban sewage and effluents and called for preventive measures.

R.Raja Chidambaram, State Secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, claimed that the Tangedco’s Tiruchi Metro Circle, which comprises Lalgudi, Musiri, Thuraiyur, Srirangam, Manapparai, Tiruchi East and Tiruchi Urban divisions, was not being fixed targets for providing agricultural service connections under the normal category.

He urged Tangedco to fix the targets for each division in the circle as is being done in other circles and enable farmers in the wait-list to get the connections at the earliest under the normal category.

The overall target under the normal category should be increased substantially to enable farmers who are waiting for long to get the connections, he said.

Published - September 27, 2024 05:43 pm IST