Agriculture prospects look bright in South India with all States in the region receiving excess or normal rainfall during the current south-west monsoon. According to the India Meteorological Department, the southern region has received 17 per cent excess rainfall so far with Tamil Nadu, which normally receives rains during the north-east monsoon, getting “largely excess” precipitation.

A positive fallout of the bountiful south-west monsoon is that the prolonged Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will likely be temporarily resolved. With Karnataka receiving 15 per cent excess showers, the State government has begun releasing around 1.5 TMC ft of water into Biligundlu in Tamil Nadu daily.

Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who is also the State’s Water Resources Minister, said late on Tuesday that more water was flowing into Tamil Nadu than mandated by the Cauvery Water Tribunal. The Tribunal had asked Karnataka to release 1 TMC of water daily till the month-end.

The Cauvery catchment areas have received good inflows and heavy rains for a few more days could see the inflow in the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nady at 35,000-40,000 cusecs, said Tamil Nadu Weatherman wrote on “X” (Twitter).

Following heavy rains in Wyanad in Kerala, Karnataka and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, the inflow in Kabini dam is 30,000 cusecs. The dam is filled to 95 per cent of the capacity. The Krishnaraja Sagar is filled to 60 per cent of the capacity, while Hemavathy is filled to 70 per cent of the capacity.

In Tamil Nadu, the Mettur Dam has been filled to 15 per cent of the capacity, while the Bhavanisagar is filled to 37 per cent of the capacity. With rains continuing to lash the region, the water storage in key reservoirs in the region is expected to increase further.

The current situation is better than what the region faced the past two years, said an agriculture expert. Last year, deficient rainfall in the region affected Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Kharif prospects

Kharif crops in the region could fare well, though things depend on the temperature during August and September, the expert said. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture showed that though the area under paddy in all southern States, barring Kerala, is marginally lower, the coverage of pulses, which was high by deficient rainfall last year, is higher.

The coverage of arhar (pigeon pea) and urad (black matpe), in particular, is higher in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Similarly, the area under coarse cereals and Shri Anna, particularly maize, is up in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana. With the acreage of paddy catching up, overall kharif crops production could be better than last year, the expert, who did not wish to be identified said.

Even for areas where farmers have not got irrigation for crops such as paddy, particularly in Tamil Nadu, the filling up of reservoir will help. Many of the farmers in the Thanjavur delta, particularly beyond Pudukottai and Nagapattinam, are tapping borewells for irrigation. Tiruchirapalli is another region facing water problems and all of them will gain with the water level improving.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister told the Assembly on Tuesday, “If there is water, we will let it flow. Around 177 tmcft has been released in a normal year, and we don’t want to hold back. There have been some showers, so that is a good sign. The water has to travel 250-300 km. Today, we are getting good inflows. Tamil Nadu should not worry and neither are we,” he said, adding that Karnataka does not want to disrespect the court either.

Shivakumar said inflows into the four major reservoirs in the Cauvery River basin in Karnataka have increased following good rains in the catchment areas. “If things continue this way, the problem in releasing water to Tamil Nadu may probably be sorted out,” he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, after an all-party meeting on Sunday, said the government was ready to release 8,000 cusecs of daily water from the river to Tamil Nadu instead of one tmcft (11,500 cusecs). An all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday decided to approach the Supreme Court to direct Karnataka to release Cauvery water as directed by the tribunal.

Published on July 17, 2024