Chennai, Sept 3:
Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran has urged the State government to ensure that Cauvery water released from the Mettur reservoir reaches the tail-end areas of the delta without obstruction and remains available to farmers until harvest.
Welcoming the release of water from the Mettur Dam for Cauvery delta irrigation, Nagendran criticised what he described as the TVK government’s delay in addressing the State’s water requirements.
In a statement posted on X, he said the government should have begun negotiations with Karnataka much earlier to secure the required quantity of Cauvery water.
According to Nagendran, discussions with Karnataka should have started by the end of May itself so that water could have been secured in time for the traditional June 12 opening of the Mettur reservoir.
The reservoir was opened later this year, and Nagendran said the development offered some relief to farmers.
However, he stressed that merely releasing water from Mettur would not be sufficient unless it actually reached the last agricultural fields of the delta.
He called upon the government to ensure that there were no obstructions in the flow of water from the reservoir to the tail-end areas.
Nagendran also raised concerns over the availability of water for the entire crop cycle.
He said the currently available water would be sufficient for only about 45 days and urged the State government to negotiate with the Congress government in Karnataka ā a political ally of the ruling dispensation, according to him ā to secure sufficient water until the harvest.
The BJP leader also called for the complete waiver of crop loans in accordance with promises made to farmers.
He further demanded that input subsidies promised to farmers be released without delay.
Nagendran’s statement comes at a crucial time for delta farmers, for whom the timely and uninterrupted availability of Cauvery water is critical to the cultivation cycle.
The BJP leader has therefore sought immediate intervention by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on both the interstate water issue and pending agricultural support measures.