Kuruvai paddy farmers across the Cauvery delta are facing a compounding agricultural crisis, with rapidly declining groundwater levels, rising salinity, and the continued non-release of water from the Mettur dam pushing standing crops to the brink. The distress is centred in Thanjavur district, where nearly one lakh acres of kuruvai cultivation this season has depended almost entirely on groundwater.

What Is Driving the Crisis

Under normal conditions, farmers in the Cauvery delta begin the kuruvai season on groundwater and later switch to river water released from Mettur dam — traditionally on 12 June each year. This year, that release did not happen due to inadequate reservoir storage, forcing farmers to rely exclusively on groundwater through the entire growing period.

The prolonged absence of river flow has significantly lowered the water table across the delta. A punishing heatwave has worsened the situation by accelerating evaporation from fields. R. Arulsamy, a farmer from Ganapathy Agraharam in Papanasam, described the ground reality: 'The scorching heat is causing rapid evaporation from the fields, while there has been no water flow in the Cauvery for more than six months. Groundwater levels are falling every day.'

Power Cut Deepens Irrigation Strain

The situation was further aggravated on Wednesday when Tangedco informed farmers that the daily free electricity supply for agricultural pump sets would be cut from 18 hours to 14 hours. The reduction directly limits farmers' ability to draw groundwater — their only remaining irrigation source this season.

In Papanasam block alone, kuruvai has been sown on about 8,400 acres. While harvesting has been completed on roughly 2,000 acres, farmers cultivating the remaining fields are increasingly anxious about sustaining irrigation through to harvest.

Salinity Emerges as a Secondary Threat

Beyond water scarcity, a sharp rise in groundwater salinity is compounding crop stress in several villages including Vellam Perambur, Then Perambur, Allur Azhisikudi, and Panaveli. In previous years, timely Mettur releases recharged groundwater reserves through the canal network and diluted salinity. With no such recharge this season, saline groundwater is directly affecting irrigation quality and threatening crop health.

Mettur Storage Leaves Little Room for Relief

Many farmers have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to release at least a limited quantity of water from Mettur dam before the Adi Perukku festival on 3 August, seeking temporary relief for their standing crops. However, agriculture experts say such a release is unlikely given current storage levels.

P. Kalaivanan of the Senior Agro Technologist Forum noted that the Mettur reservoir currently holds only about 35 tmc ft of water against its full capacity of 93.47 tmc ft. While there had been hopes of opening the dam in August, he said prevailing storage levels suggest water may not be released until September.

What Farmers Can Still Do

Kalaivanan added that farmers could still salvage the coming season by opting for direct sowing of medium-duration samba paddy in September, provided the northeast monsoon delivers adequate rainfall. This comes amid growing concern among farming communities that delayed monsoon performance could close even that window. The crisis underscores the structural vulnerability of delta agriculture when reservoir storage, groundwater recharge, and power supply fail simultaneously.