Farmers are alarmed by Mettur dam's declining water level

Chennai, Oct 7 (IANS) A dip in water level at Mettur dam has left farmers in the Delta districts of Tamil Nadu, including those from the rice bowl of the state Thanjavur, worried.

On Friday, the water level in Mettur dam fell to 32 feet which was against its capacity of 120 feet leading to major concern for the farmers.

As a deficit South West monsoon in the catchment areas of dams and the North East monsoon is likely to hit Tamil Nadu only after October 15, the Samba farmers are worried that there won't be adequate water for agricultural activities.

Murugan K.R, a farmer from Thanjavur told IANS, "South West monsoon was a failure for Tamil Nadu and the water level in Mettur dam has fallen to 32 feet as against the capacity of 120 feet. This is an alarming situation for the farmers of the Delta districts and the state government should immediately act and try to speak to the Karnataka government for a daily release of Cauvery water."

The farmers said that if the situation in Mettur continues, there would be even shortage for drinking water in Delta districts.

Notably, people of 24 districts of Tamil Nadu depend on water from Mettur dam for irrigation and even drinking water needs. The less inflow of water to the dam will adversely affect the day to day lives of the people living in these districts in addition to the Samba paddy cultivation.