a day ago
T.N. government enhances Kuruvai coverage in Cauvery delta to over 5 lakh acres
With the comfortable storage of the Mettur dam and the forecast of a favourable Southwest Monsoon in the catchment areas of the Cauvery in Karnataka and Kerala, the Tamil Nadu government has set an enhanced target of over 5 lakh acres in the delta for the ongoing Kuruvai cultivation season.
Last year, the achievement was around 3.88 lakh acres, which was about 1.7 lakh acres short of what was covered during 2023-24. Among the reasons for the reduced coverage in 2024-25 was the delay in the commencement of water release for irrigation from Mettur. As against the scheduled date of June 12, the release began on July 28.
Since the current situation is better, the government has decided to open the dam on June 12.
Cauvery realisation: Pattern of flows since 2018-19*
Year Quantum realised Overall excess or shortfall 2018-19 405.43 228.176 2019-20 275.401 98.151 2020-21 211.315 34.065 2021-22 281.058 103.808 2022-23 667.483 490.233 2023-24 81.418 -95.832 2024-25 305.6289 128.3789
*The Supreme Court, in February 2018, fixed the annual quantum of water — 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) — to be realised by Tamil Nadu at Biligundulu on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, as per the monthly schedule.
On Friday morning, the water level of Mettur stood at 113.41 ft against its full level of 120 ft. The storage was 83.349 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) against the total capacity of 93.47 tmcft. On the corresponding day last year, the water level and storage were 44.88 ft and 14.739 tmcft, respectively.
'This time, the achievement in Kuruvai coverage can be as high as 5.6 lakh acres,' said an agricultural expert. Going by the average of the immediately preceding five years (2020-21 to 2024-25), the new normal coverage has been set at 4.77 lakh acres as against the traditional coverage of 3.24 lakh acres.
The government has also decided to continue with a special Kuruvai package with an allocation of ₹58 crore for farmers in the delta. The scheme contains the provision of subsidies for mechanised paddy transplantation, certified quality seeds, bio-fertilizers, and micronutrient mixtures.
Cauvery water realisation during 2024-25 (in tmcft)
Month Realised Excess or shortfall June 2.2519 -6.9381 July 96.5429 65.3029 August 78.3974 32.4474 September 27.615 -9.145 October 39.7128 19.4928 November 19.8243 6.0443 December 18.4808 11.1308 January 3.538 0.778 February 2.0406 -0.4594 March 3.0639 0.5639 April 4.3305 1.8305 May 9.8308 7.3308 Total 305.6289 128.3789
Cauvery panel to meet
Meanwhile, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) will hold its deliberations on June 10. As of now, the State's concern is to ensure that Karnataka complies with the monthly schedule of water release, as decided by the Supreme Court in the February 2018 judgment and by the Cauvery Water Management Authority in June and subsequent months.
The just-concluded water year (June 2024-May 2025) saw the State experiencing yet another year of excess realisation. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 verdict, the State received less than its due of 177.25 tmcft only once (2023-24).
