Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday, 6 June urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately announce a comprehensive Kuruvai cultivation package, warning that critically low water levels at the Mettur Dam could devastate paddy farming across the Cauvery delta this season. The reservoir currently holds only 41.60 TMC of water, with levels standing at approximately 79 feet — well short of the threshold needed for irrigation release.

The Mettur Dam Crisis

Every year, water from the Mettur Dam is released into the Cauvery River on 12 June — the traditional start date of the Kuruvai cultivation season — to support paddy farming across more than 10 irrigation districts, including Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai. This year, however, the combination of a declining reservoir level and the absence of significant southwest monsoon activity in the Cauvery catchment areas has made an on-schedule release increasingly unlikely, according to Anbumani.

For a sustained release through the Kuruvai season, the reservoir level must exceed 90 feet and receive at least 1.5 TMC of inflow daily. Anbumani said a minimum of 12 TMC of additional storage and inflows of around 18,000 cusecs would be needed to ensure uninterrupted irrigation this season — conditions that are currently far from being met.

Karnataka Reservoirs Add to the Concern

Compounding the problem, Karnataka's major Cauvery basin reservoirs are also running at critically low levels. The Krishna Raja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathi reservoirs together hold only 33.45 TMC of water — just 29.08 per cent of their combined storage capacity of 114.57 TMC. With upstream storage this depleted, Anbumani argued that Karnataka is unlikely to release substantial quantities of water downstream, further diminishing prospects for Tamil Nadu's delta farmers.

This comes amid a broader pattern of inter-state water stress along the Cauvery, where low monsoon years routinely trigger disputes and shortfalls that disproportionately affect downstream Tamil Nadu.

Impact on Farmers and Agricultural Labourers

If the Mettur Dam is not opened on schedule, the area under Kuruvai cultivation could fall below 3 lakh acres this year — a steep drop from the 6.13 lakh acres cultivated during the previous season. Anbumani warned that such a decline would translate into significant income losses for farmers and sharply reduce employment opportunities for agricultural labourers dependent on the paddy cycle.

Notably, the Cauvery delta is often described as the 'rice bowl of Tamil Nadu', and disruptions to the Kuruvai season have historically triggered downstream economic distress extending beyond farming households to rural service economies.

What PMK Is Demanding

Anbumani called on the state government to take immediate steps on multiple fronts. He urged authorities to encourage farmers to utilise groundwater resources as an alternative and to roll out a Kuruvai package covering subsidised seeds, fertilisers, and micronutrients without delay. He also demanded uninterrupted 24-hour three-phase power supply for agricultural operations and an input subsidy of ₹5,000 per acre to cushion farmers against the uncertainty ahead of the cultivation season.

The Tamil Nadu government is yet to formally respond to the PMK's demands. With the traditional release date of 12 June days away, the pressure on the state administration to announce a relief framework is mounting.