The Centre has to intervene to protect the famers in Tamil Nadu who face prospects of losing an entire year of cultivation, said S Ranganathan, General Secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.

Responding to reports of protests in Karnataka over Supreme Court’s order directing Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water a day over the next 10 days, he said it is “sad that the river water dispute is being carried to extremes”.

With the deficient South West Monsoons and depleting groundwater, the farmers in the Cauvery delta region have virtually given up paddy as a short-term summer crop, known locally as the ‘kuruvai’ season.

Farmers now depend entirely on the main ‘samba’ season, which starts in early August. This is spread over 8-10 lakh acres, but even this is now threatened due to lack of adequate irrigation and has now been now delayed by over a month, he said.

Irrigation is needed for a few weeks before the onset of the North East Monsoon which is the farmers’ only hope, he said.

Water insufficient: Karuna

The Opposition DMK has said the quantum of water release from the Cauvery, as directed by Supreme Court, was “not enough” and urged the AIADMK government to spell out its next course of action in the issue. “According to the Supreme Court order, only 13 tmc feet will be available for Tamil Nadu. But 200 tmc feet is required to cover the entire cultivation of 25 lakh acres,” he said.

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