With just two to three weeks left for the lifting of the shutters of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur for the purpose of irrigation in the Delta region, kuruvai crop cultivation activities are yet to gain momentum in the two major Delta districts of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur.
While inquiries reveal that only around one-third of the target area of 37,000 hectares for kuruvai cultivation in Tiruvarur district has been covered till the end of May, in Thanjavur district the officials have recorded coverage of a little over 50 per cent of the target of 42,000 hectares during the same period, thanks to the borewell irrigation advantage enjoyed by the Thanjavur district farmers.
However, the officials expressed hope that the target fixed for these two districts could easily be achieved by pointing out the statement issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, Sandeep Saxena during his recent inspection visit to Delta districts.
After inspecting the works in the Tiruvarur district, he claimed that just around 900 kilometers out of the 4,700 kilometers of irrigation channels taken up for desilting in Delta districts this season, were to be desilted.
Stating that while the desilting of A and B category waterways was taken up by the Water Resources Department, the C and D channels were taken care of by the Rural Development Department, the Additional Chief Secretary said the entire 4,700 kilometers of irrigation channels would be desilted well before the releasing of water from the Mettur Dam.
However, farmers who entirely depend on the surface water for irrigation, particularly in the Tiruvarur district seem to have decided to procrastinate or even skip kuruvai in view of the weather predictions and as well as the absence of crop insurance cover for kuruvai paddy in the recent past.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India, Vendaiyampatti unit, Thanjavur district has urged the District Administration to execute the ₹24.70 lakh-worth Vendaiyampatti Periya Eri drain channel desilting work properly after evicting the encroachments on the waterway.
It also urged the District Administration to reclaim 34.5 acres of Kadakkan Eri at Kangeyampatti along the Vendaiyampatti Periya Eri drain channel as the water body had been fully encroached.
