Mettur dam: Anbumani urges TN govt to prepare for Samba cultivation
In a statement, Anbumani said that the dam is receiving 80,000 cusecs and the storage has crossed 100 feet.
PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss
CHENNAI: Saying that the Mettur dam is fast filling and the storage level has reached 100 feet, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the state government to prepare for Samba cultivation.
In a statement, Anbumani said that the dam is receiving 80,000 cusecs and the storage has crossed 100 feet.
"The government should start releasing the water as a precaution against sudden flood and also to prepare for Samba cultivation. Until June 16, water was not released from the dam due to shortage. Now, ought to be released from the dam. It is expected that 13 lakh acres of land will be cultivated in Cauvery irrigated districts during Samba season," he said.
He added that there is no sufficient stock of fertilizers, seeds and others in cooperative societies.
"As the canals are not desilted, there is no way for water to reach the tail end areas. Due to this, Samba cultivation will be affected. To start Samba preparedness, an expense of Rs. 15,000 per acre is required. As last year's Samba and Kuruvai crops failed, farmers do not have money," he pointed out.
He urged the government to provide seeds, fertilizers and crop loans to the farmers through agriculture department offices and cooperative societies.