TIRUNELVELI
Water managers and the farmers of both Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts are much relieved now as the southwest monsoon that intensified along the Western Ghats over the past one week has considerably jacked-up water level in all the dams, especially all five reservoirs in the newborn Tenkasi district that are about to reach the maximum capacity within a day or two.
As the southwest monsoon started on a sluggish note this year in June and belied completely the “normal rainfall” predictions of Indian Meteorological Department, rainfall along the Western Ghats, housing the catchment areas of all 11 dams in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts, was far from satisfaction. Consequently, farmers of both the districts, who would go in for ‘kar’ season paddy cultivation in June-end or July and harvest the ‘kar’ paddy in October before the start of the northeast monsoon, restrained themselves from starting the preparations for the first paddy season of these two districts.
With the southwest monsoon playing the truant, most of the agriculturists, who were wary of the precipitation, decided to wait for the second paddy season, ‘pisanam’ while the farmers having their ranches close to the dams alone raised ‘kar’ paddy.
Even as the southwest monsoon season is about to coming to an end – i.e. with the end of August – rainfall, much to the jubilation of everyone here, suddenly moved to top gear along the Western Ghats that steeply increased the influx of water into all the dams including Papanasam and Manimuthar dams, the prime reservoirs of southern Tamil Nadu that decide the fate of farming operations in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts and also fulfilling drinking water needs of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar districts.
Water level in dams (in feet – maximum capacity in brackets): Papanasam – 100.65 (143); Servalar – 130.90; (156); Manimuthar – 73.20 (118); Vadakku Pachchaiyar – 10.25 (49); Nambiyar – 10.13 (22.96); Kodumudiyar – 40 (44); Gadana – 80.80 (85); Ramanadhi – 82 (84); Karuppanadhi – 68.57 (72); Gundar – 36.10 (36.10); Adavinainar – 129.75 (132.22).