Even as over 12,000 cusecs of Tamirabharani water is now going waste into the Gulf of Mannar, a good number of system tanks in Tirunelveli and neighbouring Thoothukudi districts are still bone dry as no step have been taken to divert the flood to these water bodies.
After the Papanasam and Servalar dams started overflowing thanks to the active southwest monsoon along the Western Ghats, the Tamirabharani is in spate and over 12,000 cusecs of water is going waste into the Gulf of Mannar.
Similarly, Chittar is also experiencing heavy floods since Wednesday after heavy rains in the Western Ghats took storage level in the Gadana, Ramanadhi, Karuppanadhi and Adavinainar Dams up to their maximum capacity and are all overflowing now. However, flood water in the Tamirabharani and the Chittar, which joins with the Tamirabharani beyond Gangaikondan, was yet to be utilised properly, the farmers complain.
“Chettiyarkulam, Vaagaikulam and Kandigaiperikulam, all situated around Tirunelveli, are still dry even as we’re helplessly witnessing huge quantity of water getting wasted due to official apathy. Our farmer friends are also saying that similar situation prevails in other areas too,” said farmer Subramanian of Tirunelveli Town.
The Thoothukudi district farmers complain that the PWD officials were yet to open the shutters to divert surplus water to the dry regions of Nazareth, Sattankulam and Udankudi, where the irrigation tanks are bone dry while thousands of cusecs of flood water was going waste into the sea.
“The water being wasted can be diverted to these dry regions via the Sadayaneri channel. Even after petitions were submitted to the Collector in this connection, the Public Works Department officials’ indifferent attitude still keep this region dry,” said advocate Velayutha Raja, adding that a massive protest like road roko alone would wake-up the officials.
Though there was no sign of flood water being diverted to the irrigation tanks, the PWD officials claimed that the system tanks were getting filled-up one after the other and the exercise would take a few more days to get completed. “Hence, the farmers should wait for a few more days,” a senior PWD official here said.