The delta has not had it this good for at least half a decade. The major dams that fed the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu are all full: Mettur and Kollidam dams, and the Grand Anaicut have enough to release water for irrigation, and also to replenish smaller water bodies and the groundwater table. But, in the absence of any comprehensive plan to make full use of surplus water, a rarity in water-hungry delta, a large quantum of released from Cauvery and Kollidam rivers have drained into the sea, say veteran farmers in the region.

Following heavy rains in upstream Karnataka, excess water was released, which began filling the vast reservoirs here at a fast pace. At Mettur, inflow crossed over a lakh cusecs (cubic feet per second) for four days from July 18; around noon on July 23, the Stanley reservoir reached its full capacity of 120 feet for the first time since 2013.

    

A day later, on July 24, water was released from Kollidam dam due to heavy inflow. The next day, shutters of Kollidam, Grand Anaicut (Kallanai) and Mettur were opened for irrigation and to maintain the optimum level. On that day, more than 80,000 cusecs of water went from Mettur dam to the Cauvery river, about half of that from Kollidam.

 

This high was short-lived. The release of water from Karnataka dipped drastically since the end of July after rains at catchment area of its reservoirs subsided. Outflow from Mettur dam, too, was cut accordingly, but maintained slightly above the inflow rate. Similarly, the release from Kollidam was stopped on August 1.

Water from the rivers recharge the groundwater table, which in turn would help sustaining the drinking water projects. For instance, water was released into the Kollidam supported Veeranam lake and RajanCanal to meet the requirement of water-stressed regions like Ariyalur and Cuddalore. It is also important to release an adequate volume of water to the sea in order to reduce salinity in the tail-end areas of the delta. However, farmers in the delta region said that a substantial portion of water has been wasted. According to their estimation, the water wasted in the last week could be as much as 15 TMC (thousand million cubic), including about 3 TMC from Kollidam. To put this in perspective, it is about half of what the Cauvery Management Authority directed Karnataka to release to Tamil Nadu.

This wastage, farmers say, exposes the absence of a proper water management plan in the state. “Several schemes were drafted for the efficient utilisation of the surplus water from the Cauvery but nothing has been implemented so far,” said Ayilai Siva Suriyan of Tamil Nadu VivasayigalSangam.

He pointed out that the State government had earlier drafted a plan for diverting water from Mettur to Kollidam via Thuraiyur and Mannachanallur. “There are 185 tanks in these regions which can store water instead of sending it to sea. Thus wastage of water could be prevented phenomenally,” Siva Suriyan said. “These plans are as old as 1972 but yet to materialise,” he said.

However, SwamimalaiSundaraVimalnathan of Cauvery Farmers Protection Association said not all water let into the rivers go straight into the sea. “This water stabilises the storage of Veeranam lake that meets Chennai’s drinking water requirement,” he pointed out.

04-08-2018

Feet: 119.61

Inflow: 16,605

Outflow: 18,933

TMC: 92.85

03-08-2018

Feet: 119.98

Inflow:14,461

Outflow:18,400

TMC: 93.43

02-08-2018

Feet: 119.98

Inflow:14,461

Outflow:18,400

TMC: 93.43

01-08-2018

Feet: 120.04

Inflow:20,495

Outflow:20,899

TMC: 93.53

31-07-2018

Feet: 120.09

Inflow:23,501

Outflow:25,171

TMC: 93.61

30-07-2018

Feet: 120.16

Inflow:26,376

Outflow:28,000

TMC: 93.7

29-07-2018

Feet: 120.25

Inflow: 59,135

Outflow:59,714

TMC: 93.87

28-07-2018

Feet: 120.30

Inflow: 68,500

Outflow:68,000

TMC: 93.95

27-07-2018

Feet: 120.31

Inflow: 61,291

Outflow:60,000

TMC: 93.96

26-07-2018

Feet: 120.29

Inflow: 48,065

Outflow:46,462

TMC: 93.93

25-07-2018

Feet: 120.22

Inflow: 80,291

Outflow:76,611

TMC: 93.822

24-07-2018

Feet: 120.40

Inflow: 75,170

Outflow:75,700

TMC: 93.470

As the Cauvery swells to its fullest, the number of drowning incidents too has risen. On July 29, three youngsters from Villupuram drowned in the river in the Ponni Delta area while another youth from Tiruchy died at Oyamari bathing ghat.

Another 16 drowned in Amravati river at Karur which prompted the government to boost their safety and security measures. The district administrations, prodded by social activists, have identified a series of dangerous spots in the river and even erected boards to warn those who come to swim and bathe in the river, to stay away from it. In some places, permanent safety personnel have been appointed to monitor the situation and keep people from jumping into the river.

With the onset of monsoon, the river water has risen, making it more temperamental. The increased flow of water created stronger currents and even quicksand which cannot be spotted from the banks and can draw most inexperienced swimmers to a watery grave.

“It will be difficult for people to determine the depth of the water even if they visit their familiar ghats to take a bath,” said district fire officer M Ramamoorthy. “It is also tough to understand where there could be quicksands as it keeps changing depending upon the flow of the water,” he said, adding that only experienced and trained swimmers will stand a chance against such currents and death traps.

Also, according to the figures, most of the people who drowned did not know how to swim. People tend to get excited on seeing the river full to its brim and enter it without understanding the consequences. Even though some of the ghats do have warning boards, they go unnoticed by the public. This, however, results in multiple deaths.

To prevent people, especially children, from drowning, they must be given formal swimming lessons. This can reduce their risk of drowning by almost 85 per cent,” said Ramamoorthy.“But, everyone is vulnerable in the water right now, no matter how well they swim. No one should enter the river unless they can gauge the depth of water,” he added. Reacting to the demands of certain activist to construct protected bathing ghats, the official said that the idea was illogical as the government cannot build a boundary wall across the entire length of the bank.

Speaking about the three men from Villupuramwho drowned in the Ponni Delta area, the district fire officer said, “The area has too many quicksand spots and those who put their feet on the bed can be sucked in in no time. The men from Villupuramhad jumped into the river one after the other to save their friends. That is a wrong approach, especially if they did not know how to swim.”

Others who drowned while attempting to take a dip into the river include K Selvaraj (70) who drowned in the Kudamuritti on July 27 in Tiruchy and Palanisamy (52) from Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district. The police said that about 50 people die in the river every year during this season.

The district administrations have identified death spots in the Cauvery and have started to give stringent warning to the public. The Karur district has identified Karur, Lalpettai, Mayanur, Nerur, Vangal, Mahadanapuram, Kuithalai and velayudhapalayam. While in Tiruchy, the Collector identified spots such as, Manjakorai, Mukkombu, Oyamari and Melur while in Thanjavur, GA canal (Kallanai canal), Orathanadu, Thiruvonamamong other parts in the district.

Though there are several caution boards are present all along the Cauvery coast, the social activists have urged the government to place red flags near the deepest spots and indicate the depth to the public. Lifeguards should also be stationed at these spots, the activists claimed. Meanwhile, the police said that patrolling teams were dispatched at Mukkombu to keep an eye on the Mukkombu and Vathalai sides and extra officers were deployed on weekends at picnic spots near the river.