Poor storage level in dams deters farmers from raising paddy during ‘pisanam’ season
The Hindu
TIRUNELVELI
TIRUNELVELI
Cultivation of paddy during the ‘pisanam’ season has come down drastically as the monsoon has let down the district and storage level in all reservoirs in the district, which has to meet the drinking water needs also, is precarious.
The northeast monsoon that started in mid-October last year brought at least three rounds of heavy downpour across the district and along the Western Ghats before November-end to jack up the water level in the dams closer to their maximum capacity and in the rain-fed tanks substantially. Most of the rain-fed tanks and the dams were overflowing by December second week last year.
However, the monsoon that arrived Tirunelveli on delayed note only in November this year has so far recorded 30% deficit rainfall. Consequently, all six dams – Papanasam, Servalar, Manimuthar, Vadakku Pachchaiyar, Kodumudiyar and Nambiyar Dams – in the district have unstable storage level.
Believing in weather predictions and anticipating good rainfall, water from Papanasam Dam was released for ‘pisanam’ paddy cultivation on November 4 and from Manimuthar Dam on November 11 and the discharge of water has to be sustained till March 31 to facilitate good yield. However, nature has so far belied the weather predictions and water level in the dams is fast depleting due to insignificant precipitation in the catchment areas.
As of now, the Papansam and Manimuthar Dams have only 50% storage against their maximum capacity. While Papanasam Dam has 2,904.75 million cubic feet (mcft) water against its maximum capacity of 5,500 mcft, Manimuthar Dam, the district’s largest reservoir with 5,511 mcft capacity has only 2,836.25 mcft as on Thursday (December 15).
In other words, Papanasam Dam has only 52.81% water and the storage level in Manimuthar Dam is only 51.47%. Storage level in Servalar (43.16%), Vadakku Pachchaiyar (10.84%), Kodumudiyar (36.56%) and Nambiyar (18.96%) is still worse.
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