Open Veeranam shutters to save crops in Cuddalore, Anbumani urges TN govt

CHENNAI: Claiming crops are withering without water in the Cuddalore district, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the state government to release water from Veeranam Lake for irrigation.

In a statement, Anbumani said that the government had announced the release of water from the lake for samba cultivation. "But it is yet to be realised. Around 44,856 acres of land is irrigated by the lake. The officials claim that 400 cusecs of water are being released from the lake, but another section of officials clarify that the water is not released at all," he added.

Saying that the untimely release of water will not benefit the farmers, Anbumani warned that crops will wither and will not have healthy growth if water isn’t released on time before the onset of the northeast monsoon. "If the crops fail to reach one foot of height before the monsoon, fields will be inundated and the yield will go rotten," he added.

Anbumani pointed out that the lake has one-third of its total capacity. "Moreover, Mettur dam is also brimming. If 5,000 cusecs of water is diverted from Mettur dam, the lake can be filled up in a week. Refusing the release of water even during times of excess is injustice," he said.