Agricultural unions in Tamil Nadu have urged the state government to scrap a rigid 45-day water release schedule in favor of a more judicious, storage-based approach to protect 25 lakh hectares of farmland.

  • Farmers demand the withdrawal of the 45-day water release plan to ensure long-term sustainability.
  • Urgent call for the creation of district-level committees to manage water storage in lakes and tanks.
  • Concerns raised over water reaching tail-end areas due to delayed reservoir openings.

The Thamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam has issued a stern call for the judicious management of water resources available at the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur. In a press briefing held in Tiruvarur, the association's general secretary, P.R. Pandian, emphasized that the water released by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay must not be allowed to flow wastefully but should be strategically stored in lakes, tanks, and other local water bodies across the delta region.

To ensure this process is handled efficiently, the union has proposed the immediate formation of district-level committees. These committees would ideally comprise officials from the Revenue, Water Resources, Agriculture, and Police departments, creating a multi-agency oversight mechanism to monitor the storage and eventual distribution of water to the mid-term samba crops after a two-week buffering period.

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Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that the conflict stems from a fundamental disagreement over water release methodology. While the government has proposed a fixed 45-day release window, farmers argue that this ignores the traditional practice of maximizing the utility of Mettur's reserves. If managed correctly, the water from Mettur can directly or indirectly irrigate approximately 25 lakh hectares of land, a scale that a rigid 45-day plan may fail to support.

The failure to open the Stanley Reservoir on the customary date of June 12 has already dehydrated the delta's river courses, making every drop of current release critical for survival.

Adding to the tension, the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Protection Association has expressed deep skepticism regarding whether the water will ever reach the tail-end regions of the delta. Secretary Sundara Vimalanathan pointed out that the dry riverbeds act as a sponge, absorbing initial releases and preventing water from reaching the furthest farms.

The farmers' unions are now urging the state government to move beyond internal management and take aggressive legal action to secure the overdue monthly water shares from Karnataka dams, which remains a perennial point of contention in the Cauvery water dispute.

Did You Know?: The Mettur Dam, completed in 1934, is the lifeline of the Cauvery Delta, often referred to as the 'granary of South India' due to its massive rice production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Why are farmers opposing the 45-day water release plan?
They believe a fixed timeframe is inefficient and goes against traditional practices that allow water to be stored in local tanks for longer-term use across 25 lakh hectares.

Q2: What are the demands regarding Karnataka?
The associations want the Tamil Nadu government to initiate legal proceedings to claim the overdue monthly water shares from Karnataka dams.