CHENNAI: After nearly four years, farmers in the delta districts — Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam — will be going in for kuruvai crop, thanks to a comfortable storage position at the Mettur reservoir.

The reservoir is to be opened for irrigation on the scheduled date i.e. on June 12 (Monday) after 2001.

In the intervening years, the reservoir could not be opened due to poor storage at Mettur. It was opened on September 6 in 2002, October 7 in 2003, August 12 in 2004 and August 4 last year.

This is the second time that the carry-over storage in June is more than 85 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) after nearly six decades. The storage at the reservoir on Saturday was 85.9 tmcft as against its capacity of 93.47 tmcft. The inflow was about 5,100 cusecs and the discharge about 2000 cusecs.

Because of the delayed opening of the reservoir in the previous years, farmers, especially small and marginal, had to skip kuruvai cultivation. Only those who had tube well facility managed to raise the kuruvai crop. The coverage was less than 50,000 hectares in the previous years as against the normal coverage of 2.07 lakh hectares.

This time, the coverage would be more than the normal area as even those who usually opt for single samba crop are likely to cultivate kuruvai in view of the assured water supply, according to official sources.

Public Works Department officials here said to start with 5,000 cusecs would be released from the reservoir for the kuruvai cultivation, which would be gradually increased to 15,000 cusecs. Water released from the reservoir would reach the tail-end areas only if the discharge was of the order of about 15,000 cusecs. With desilting operation in various supply channels in the river system going on in full swing, the flow would be smooth and there would not be much wastage of water.

Moreover, unlike previous years when farmers did not have finance for preliminary farm operations, this time they had sufficient money on hand thanks to a good samba harvest and flood compensation money distributed by the previous government.

Besides, the State Government also waived all cooperative crop loans of farmers and agreed to sanction a new crop loan to them.

Sufficient stock

Agriculture department officials here said all regional depots in the delta districts had sufficient stock of seeds and other inputs. Once water was released from the reservoir farming operations would begin in full swing. Already farmers with bore well facility had completed preliminary operations and they would go for transplantation once they started getting Cauvery water. With the current storage of about 86 tmcft at the reservoir, the water requirement of about 105 tmcft for completing the kuruvai operations would be fully met, they said.

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