Chennai, PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide uninterrupted three-phase power supply for the delta farmers to fetch groundwater through borewells.
In a statement here, he said, "Thousands of acres of kuruvai-season paddy in Cauvery-irrigated districts such as Thanjavur and Tiruvarur are reportedly drying up because they have not received adequate irrigation. Farmers who sowed relying on groundwater say the crops are withering largely because uninterrupted three-phase power has not been supplied to run pumps."
Claiming that in the Cauvery command areas, paddy cultivation depends mostly on Cauvery water, the former union minister said, "Customarily, water for kuruvai irrigation is released from the Mettur dam on June 12 and that release had been guaranteed this year as usual, at least 6 lakh acres would have been sown for the kuruvai season."
He said with the water release from Mettur now ruled out, about one lakh acres in the Cauvery command area are relying on groundwater.
"For several weeks, the Cauvery command districts have not received sufficient uninterrupted three-phase power, so groundwater could not be pumped," he said, adding, "As a result, fields are beginning to crack and paddy crops are starting to wither and farmers are worried that the young crops will die unless irrigation is provided immediately."
"Growers have already spent up to ₹30,000 per acre on seed, planting, fertilizer and weeding. If these well-grown paddy crops are not saved, farmers will suffer heavy losses. Farmers are not asking for much from the government beyond reliable power to save their crops; their request is feasible to meet," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"Growers have already spent up to ₹30,000 per acre on seed, planting, fertilizer and weeding. If these well-grown paddy crops are not saved, farmers will suffer heavy losses. Farmers are not asking for much from the government beyond reliable power to save their crops; their request is feasible to meet," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Ramadoss said to protect the drying kuruvai paddy in the Cauvery command districts, the Tamil Nadu government should immediately ensure at least 18 hours a day of uninterrupted three-phase power and provide the usual kuruvai relief along with a ₹5,000 per-acre input subsidy.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.