Samba paddy cultivation across 11,424 acres in Tamil Nadu's Thalainayar region of Nagapattinam district is on the brink of failure as acute Cauvery water shortages have left freshly sown seeds parched nearly a month after the Mettur dam was opened, farmers warned on 30 September 2026. The affected fields depend on the Harichandra River, which has received only a trickle of water since the delayed dam release.

Seeds Drying Up, Germination in Doubt

Farmers said seeds sown approximately 20 days ago have been scorched by heat without any irrigation reaching their fields. Even if water arrives now, cultivators expect only 50 to 60 per cent of the sown seeds to germinate and survive. Ramanathan M., who sowed medium-duration paddy varieties on 16 acres, said his fields had dried up entirely and resembled barren land. He added that water had reached rivers serving Thalainayar and Vedaranyam in only small quantities, while several branch canals remained completely dry.

Delayed Dam Opening Compounds the Crisis

The Mettur dam was opened on 1 September, a full 81 days after the customary date of 12 June — one of the longest delays in recent memory. Following the government's announcement of a 45-day water release period, farmers proceeded with direct sowing of medium-duration samba varieties, even though many considered the promised supply window inadequate for the full crop cycle. With roughly 15 days remaining in the scheduled release period, cultivators fear the window will close before their crop can be saved. Poor rainfall across the district has further aggravated shortages, particularly in tail-end irrigation areas that are the last to receive canal flows. Only a few hundred cusecs are reported to have reached the district, leaving little for Thalainayar's fields.

A Second Consecutive Crop Failure Looms

This is not an isolated crisis — farmers in the region had already lost their kuruvai harvest to water shortages earlier in the year. Having borrowed from private lenders to fund samba cultivation after those earlier losses, many cultivators now face compounding financial distress. They also alleged that accessing institutional credit had become difficult, claiming that Village Administrative Officers were insisting that Adangal certificates — land records needed for loan applications — could only be issued after crops had visibly grown, effectively blocking access to bank and cooperative society loans at the very moment farmers needed them most.

Government Response Falls Short, Farmers Say

Water Resources Department officials stated that around 700 cusecs of water was being released from Thattankovil in Tiruvarur and was expected to reach the Harichandra River by the night of 30 September. However, farmers said officials had acknowledged the supply would last only approximately one and a half days because other channels along the route also require water. Cultivators maintained that such a brief release would irrigate barely half of the cultivated area, leaving thousands of acres exposed to irreversible crop damage. With the scheduled water release period nearing its end, farmers say the window to save the samba crop is rapidly closing.