Cauvery Crisis: Dam Delays Hit TN Farmers

The customary June 12 opening of Mettur dam has been missed again, impacting paddy cultivation and causing drinking water shortages in Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta districts. This marks the 57th such delay in the dam's 83-year history. To address recurring water crises, four strategies are proposed for state government consideration.

Completing unfinished infrastructure projects is vital, as no major barrage has been commissioned since 2014. Fast-tracking the construction of checkdams across the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers, as announced in the state budget, is crucial, despite potential physical and ecological challenges.

Significant reservoir silting, with Mettur dam losing 30-40% of its capacity and Pillur dam's silt levels breaching 57ft, necessitates urgent desilting. While large-scale desilting is logistically difficult and costly, regular upkeep of major tanks fed by the Cauvery is essential for groundwater recharge and irrigation.

Promoting drought-resistant paddy varieties, such as CO53, CO58, and CO59, is critical. Despite TNAU's efforts to develop these varieties, low farmer awareness has led to minimal adoption, with less than 500kg of drought-resistant seeds sold so far.

Encouraging water-saving irrigation methods like direct sowing and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is also paramount. Direct sowing can reduce water use by 15-40%, while AWD irrigation can cut it by 15-25% without compromising yields, though farmer adoption remains low.