Why delta farmers are unhappy despite CM Vijay releasing Cauvery water from Mettur dam

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay opened the Mettur dam on Tuesday (September 1) morning to send water to Cauvery delta farmers for paddy irrigation. The move came after months of delay. Yet many farmers and farm leaders say they are not happy. They fear the water will not last long enough for a full crop.

Every year, the dam is opened on June 12 for the first paddy season. This year, that date was missed by more than two-and-a-half months. The Cauvery catchment areas received rain, but Karnataka held back water, allege farmers and Opposition parties. Later, heavy rain in Karnataka sent surplus water down the river from Kabini stream and Krishna Raja Sagar dams. The Mettur water level rose to 90.47 feet. Water was flowing in at 9,035 cubic feet per second.

Present and future concerns for farmers

The state government says it will release water from September 1 for 45 days instead of the usual longer period. Farmers say this is too short. Samba paddy needs water for 120 to 135 days without a break. Water from Mettur takes about 10 days just to reach the last fields in the delta. By the time it will arrive, little time will be left for the crop.

“The short release announced by the government will not fully help samba cultivation,” said a farmer. Many suggested waiting until the second week of September. That way, the water could last until the north-east monsoon begins and save the standing crop.

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Farm leaders are also worried about the future. They say if Tamil Nadu itself announces only a short release, Karnataka may use that statement later in court to argue against giving more water.

Water in the dam and the inflow are both low, they point out. Opening the dam and sending only a small quantity will not help the crop much. Farmer unions had asked the government to wait until the level reaches 100 feet. That request was not accepted.

Farmers seeks compensation

Farmers also asked for the popular CR 1009 paddy seed, which uses less water, but officials allegedly told them it was not available.

Pon. Ramkumar, a farmer from the delta, said, “Because Cauvery water did not come for kuruvai, about 75 per cent of farmers in many villages did not sow or pay insurance premium. They should get compensation. It will also help if the government gives ploughing subsidy for direct sowing. The government should also announce a samba package. Only then will farmers feel encouraged to cultivate.”

He added that rice and other grain prices have already risen sharply and may rise further. The government should bring schemes that give farmers confidence to keep farming, he said.

‘Insult to farmers’

PS Masilamani, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association, said the dam is now receiving 8,000 to 12,000 cubic feet of water every second. “Only if water is released after the level reaches 100 feet, or after September 10, can farmers complete one full samba crop,” he said.

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PR Pandian, president of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers’ Associations Coordination Committee, was sharper. “Before opening the dam, the agriculture department, irrigation officials and farmers should have sat together. That meeting was not held. This is an insult to farmers. Water should be released only when the dam has 100 feet of water. Otherwise, when the crop reaches the ear-heading stage, there will be a water shortage and a big disaster,” he said.

“The government order saying water will be given only for 45 days, till October 15, is against the law. Such an announcement will weaken our rights in future. Officials should talk to farmers about which crop to grow and whether to directly sow or transplant. The agriculture department should give clear technical advice. Opening the dam without any of this will be of no use,” he added.

Decision on more water release later

Government sources said the decision was taken based on the water now stored in the dam. If more water comes in, they will decide whether to release extra. A delayed opening of the Mettur dam is not new. This is the 62nd time the opening has been delayed out of the 93 times water has been released from the dam for irrigation.

Farmers in the upper delta districts, including Trichy, Thanjavur, and Ariyalur, have borewells. Many of them started sowing kuruvai in June even without river water. They can finish that crop with the 45-day release. But groundwater levels have fallen. They now ask for water for at least 100 days at the rate of one TMC (thousand million cubic feet) a day. That is possible only if Karnataka releases Tamil Nadu’s share as ordered by the Cauvery Management Authority.

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Farmers in the lower delta districts, including Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai, have almost no borewells. They depend only on Mettur water. For them, 45 days is not enough. If they sow now and the water stops, they will face heavy loss. That is why many say Tuesday’s opening will not help the tail-end farmers much.

Blocked channels, damaged sluice

In Keezhaiyur and nearby tail-end villages of Nagapattinam district, the worry is sharper. About 3,000 acres of land here depend only on branch canals from the Cauvery system. Farmers say desilting is still incomplete in many of these channels. Villages around Thirupoondi, Keezhapidagai and Magizhi fear the water may not reach their fields in time. They have asked officials to clean the canals and repair damaged sluices before the Mettur water arrives.

V Manivannan, president of the Keezhaiyur Union Delta Irrigation Farmers’ Association, said: “Even though the water has come late, it will be a big help for our samba crop. Officials must keep watching whether the water reaches the tail end fully. Repair the damaged sluices and gates. Clean the canals. Speed up the unfinished desilting. We used to raise two crops. This year, we can raise only one. The government must see that this one crop gets water without a break.”

Cases to be withdrawn, financial aid on offer

On Wednesday, the chief minister told the Assembly the government would withdraw cases filed against farmers between 2021 and 2026. In Tiruvannamalai, farmers who opposed land takeover for the SIPCOT industrial estate had cases against them. Some were booked under the Goondas Act. In Parandur, farmers who protested for years against the new airport, saying it would swallow farm land, water bodies, and their living, also faced cases. The present government has already dropped the airport plan. “Cases were filed in an inhuman manner,” Vijay said. “The government has decided to withdraw them on humanitarian grounds and in keeping with democratic norms.”

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He also announced financial aid for farmers whose kuruvai crop suffered because river water did not come in June. Earlier, the government gave a special kuruvai package of about Rs 135 crore and later expanded crop-loan relief for cooperative bank loans. Farmer groups say that is not enough. The Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Associations Joint Movement said its protest will continue until a full crop-loan waiver is announced.

AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also criticised the event. Speaking to The Federal, he said: “The chief minister’s visit to Mettur was unnecessary. He should have met farmer union officials, consulted them, and then taken action on opening the dam. The water he released will not be useful to farmers in any way. With so many restrictions and shows, opening the Mettur dam is useful only for reels.”

Officials explain decision

A senior official of the Water Resources Department said the dam lacks enough water for a full, old-style irrigation season. Farmers must, therefore, use every drop carefully and follow the Agriculture Department’s advice on crop-sowing method. Officials will watch the daily inflow and decide the next step only after seeing how much water actually comes in. The government has not promised 100 or 120 days. It has promised 45 days first and a fresh look if more water arrives. Tamil Nadu, the official added, will not give up its legal right to Cauvery water.

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The same officials explained why they opened the dam now. Water from Mettur takes about three weeks to reach the last stretches of the river. If they wait longer, they said, the samba season itself will be lost. The usual practice is to open the gates once the level crosses 90 feet. They hope the north-east monsoon will begin by mid-October and support the crop after the 45-day release ends. About 10 TMC is being kept in the dam for drinking water, minimum river flow and dead storage.

Delta farmers now wait to see how far the water travels and how long it lasts. Many say the real test will come in the coming weeks, when the crop needs water the most.