The deficit rainfall during this year after the failure of Southwest and Northeast Monsoons last year and consequent poor storage level in the major dams may badly affect paddy cultivation during the upcoming ‘pisanam’ season, if the Northeast Monsoon also lets down the district like last year..
Farmers usually take up cultivation on over 40,000 acres during this season.
After the Southwest and Northeast Monsoons were complete croppers last year, water level in Papanasam and Manimuthar dams that decide the fate of agricultural operations in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts is in pathetic condition.
The Papanasam dam, one of the two major reservoirs of the district, now has only 920 million cubic feet water – just 17.67% – against its maximum capacity of 5,500 mcft. Manimuthar dam, having a maximum storage capacity of 5,511 mcft, now has 1,001 mcft, which is just 18.16%. After experiencing poor Northeast Monsoon last year, the Southwest Monsoon too let down the district this year to compound the woes of the farmers and the water managers as well.
Hence, the small quantity of water released from the dams for raising paddy during the ‘kar’ season never reached the ranches in the tail-end areas. Even though weather predictions forecasted isolated downpour along the Western Ghats in mid-September, there is no sign of rainfall in the catchment areas of the dams so far.
This precarious water position in the dams and the unprecedentedly hot summer has considerably shrunk the area of agricultural crop cultivation, including paddy, to just 13,489.92 hectare from January to mid-September this year while horticultural crops have been raised only on 8,179.38 hectares.
“Anticipating this situation, we’re telling repeatedly the farmers to insure their crops to save themselves from possible crop loss in the upcoming season,” said District Collector Anand Mohan in the farmers’ grievances day redressal meeting held at the Collectorate on Friday.
Since 6,292 farmers of Tirunelveli district are yet to upload their property details for getting the unique identity number for availing the welfare assistance, they were asked to complete the process immediately. Another 1,362 farmers were asked to complete their eKYC and 989 more agriculturists were told to link their Aadhaar number with the bank account number.
“If you fail to fulfil this mandatory process, you may not get the welfare assistances meant for the agriculturists in future,” cautioned Mr. Anand Mohan, who released the handbook detailing the farm mechanisation initiatives of Department of Agriculture to tide over the farmhand shortage.
The Collector informed that 710 farmers had received Kisan Credit Card loan of ₹9.82 crore and 1,110 dairy farmers were given ₹10.19 crore as loan.
District Forest Officer Ilango participated in the meeting.
Published – September 18, 2026 06:39 pm IST
