Thanjavur farmers carry water in pots to save withering Samba crops
In Short
Fields in Nallavanniyan Kudikadu, Shankaradevan Kudikadu and Malaiyarnatham have developed cracks, leaving farmers dependent on water collected from nearby ponds and pools.
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Thanjavur: Farmers in villages near Thanjavur are carrying water in pots to save their withering samba paddy crops as inadequate Cauvery water supplies and a week without rain threaten cultivation across parts of the delta.
Fields in Nallavanniyan Kudikadu, Shankaradevan Kudikadu and Malaiyarnatham have developed cracks, leaving farmers dependent on water collected from nearby ponds and pools.
With irrigation channels failing to supply their fields, they are manually watering crops to keep them alive.
The crisis follows a delayed start to the irrigation season. Water from Mettur dam is normally released for delta irrigation on June 12, provided storage is adequate.
This year, low reserves prevented the customary release, forcing many farmers dependent on river irrigation to abandon kuruvai cultivation.
Although the dam was subsequently opened on September 1, water did not reach tail-end areas.
Even in some intermediate stretches, supplies failed to flow into agricultural fields. Declining storage at Mettur further reduced releases, raising concerns over the samba season.
The current discharge of 1,000 cubic feet per second is sufficient only for drinking water requirements, leaving little available for irrigation.
Reduced flows in the Cauvery, Vennar and Grand Anicut Canal have compounded difficulties for farmers dependent on these waterways.
The onset of the northeast monsoon initially offered hope, encouraging some farmers to raise nurseries and begin planting.
However, uncertainty over water availability kept many others from taking up cultivation. Against Thanjavur district’s samba and thaladi cultivation target of 3.12 lakh acres, only 1.90 lakh acres have been brought under cultivation so far.
The recent dry spell has worsened conditions. Farmers close to rivers and canals are using diesel engines to pump water from stagnant pools, but those farther away have no access to such sources.
Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association delta zone coordinator P. Jagatheesan said the samba crops were planted about a month ago and expenditure had already reached approximately Rs 30,000.
Farmers were now resorting to pots of water because both river supplies and rainfall had failed them, he said, warning that the crops could wither unless rain arrived soon.
Jagatheesan urged Agriculture and Revenue Department officials to inspect affected irrigation areas, assess crop conditions and submit a report to the government.
He also appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to provide appropriate relief to distressed farmers facing the prospect of crop losses.
