Salem farmers demand desilting of east and west bank canals

Mettur Dam water release prompts farmers to demand desilting of canals for irrigation in Tamil Nadu districts.

With water level in Mettur Dam increasing after water release from Karnataka, farmers in the district have demanded the desilting of the east and west bank canals.

Water from the dam is usually released on June 12 each year to irrigate the delta districts, and is continued for a period of 230 days until January 28 the following year. This benefits 17.32 lakh acres of farmland in districts including Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruchi, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Karur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, and Pudukkottai. However, due to poor water availability in the dam, this year the Mettur dam was not opened for delta irrigation on the usual date.

For canal irrigation, water is typically released from the dam through the east and west bank canals from 1 August to 15 December. The east bank canal benefits 18,000 acres of farmland, while the west bank canal benefits 27,000 acres of farmland in Salem, Erode, and Namakkal districts. Additionally, the opening of these canals recharges borewells and farm wells.

R. Velusamy, president, Uzhavar Perunthalaivar Narayanasamy Naidu’s Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, stated that since no water has been discharged through the east and west bank canals for over a year, the canals have become overgrown with bushes and shrubs. With the water level in the Mettur Dam rising significantly in the past two weeks, farmers expect water to be released for canal irrigation on 1 August and for Samba irrigation in the delta region. Therefore, the canals should be cleaned and desilted by the Water Resources Department (WRD) before the Mettur Dam is opened, Mr. Velusamy added.

Meanwhile, there were reports suggesting that the WRD had recommended not opening the Mettur Dam until the storage level reaches 60 TMC.  A senior WRD official in the Mettur division denied the reports, saying that no such recommendation has been made to the government. Based on the water requirements of the delta region, water will be released from the Mettur Dam. The east and west bank canals will be desilted before the opening of the dam, the official added.