Kuruvai Cultivation in Cauvery Delta

Going by data for the last 10 years and observations of officials of the Agriculture and Public Works Departments, it appears that one lakh acres can be covered this year.  In a normal year, 3.3 lakh acres are covered.

The present situation is extremely adverse as the Mettur dam, the lifeline of the delta, has a storage of hardly four thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) against the capacity of 93.47 tmc ft.

On the same day last year, the storage was about 41 tmc ft. Besides, the groundwater table in the Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts, three of which accounts for 85 per cent of the Kuruvai cultivation in the delta, does not present a bright scenario.

The kuruvai crop is essentially dependent upon discharge of water from Mettur which, in turn, relies on release from Karnataka.If Karnataka does not release Tamil Nadu’s share of water, as prescribed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, the crop will be in for trouble.

During 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, the shortfall in realisation of the water [as per the Tribunal’s interim order] during southwest monsoon (June-September) varied from about 97 tmc ft to 107 tmc ft to 35 tmc ft. In 2012-2013, even going by a distress-sharing formula, Tamil Nadu should have received, during the corresponding period, 54.5 tmc ft more than what it realised – around 28 tmc ft.

 In all these 4 years, the coverage in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur was over one lakh acres.

Last year, due to a combination of steps including 12-hour power supply in the region, the coverage was 1.3 lakh acres. This is why the authorities are hopeful of achieving one lakh acres even this year too.

As of now, around 6,920 acres have been covered in Thanjavur and Nagapattinam.