Cauvery Basin Farmers Face Dire Choice: Abandon or Delay Sowing as Water Crisis Worsens

MYSURU: Deficient rainfall and depleting water levels in reservoirs across the Cauvery basin have pushed farmers into distress, with agricultural activities coming to a halt in many areas amid drought-like conditions prevailing since last month. Hope is fading among farmers as the monsoon remains elusive, casting doubt on the revival of farm operations in the days ahead.

If, like last year, the region had received good rainfall and the reservoirs had sufficient storage, farmers would have transplanted paddy seedlings and sowing operations would have been in full swing by now. But the situation is different this year, with farmers abandoning or delaying sowing amid a weak monsoon and poor storage levels in major dams.

‘Sugar bowl’ at a low

The rainfall deficit has battered Mandya, known as the “Sugar Bowl of Karnataka”, with only 5% of the district’s sowing target achieved so far due to inadequate rains. Under these circumstances, farmers are being advised to cultivate crops suited to deficient rainfall conditions.

A worried farmer, Devaraj of Attahalli village near Bannur in Mysuru district, said he has not prepared his fields for paddy cultivation following the poor rainfall and decreasing storage of water in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam. “I had transplanted paddy in my field in July last year. This year, my field is uncultivated. The expectation of rain is diminishing, and the government must come to our help immediately, declaring drought and carrying out scientific crop surveys,” he demanded.

Other water bodies

Lakes, ponds, and small water bodies are also running out of water. The water bodies in Bannur, T. Narasipur and other nearby areas in the district were filled last year by releasing water to the canals from the brimful dam. “This time, I cannot rely on these water bodies. Whatever water is left in them is needed for our livestock. Also, farmers may soon face a shortage of green fodder. Thankfully, dry fodder has come to farmers’ rescue,” said Devaraj, a beneficiary of Chikkadevaraja Canal and VC Canal of the KRS dam.

Even as the government is advising farmers to go for less water-intensive and drought-resilient crops — such as jowar and ragi instead of rice — due to the prevailing situation, farmers like Devaraj argue that crop yields would be lower and farmers would end up spending the same amount of money on cultivating these crops as well. The result would be lower yields and reduced profits. He also said that the prospects of crop loss are high in case of a prolonged dry spell.

Farmers in both rain-dependent and irrigated areas in the region are facing similar hardships.

Another distressed farmer, Siddesh, from T. Narasipura taluk, asked, “Should we stop agriculture if the government tells us to halt sowing due to monsoon failure? A farmer’s job is to produce food, and we shall continue to do so even with minimal resources. We cannot leave our fields unsown.”

Plummeting levels

The Right Bank Canal of the Kabini dam irrigates nearly 1.25 lakh acres. The Kabini dam is among the first reservoirs in the Cauvery basin to reach full-reservoir level when there is good rainfall. With a lack of rains in its catchment area in Kerala, its storage levels have depleted to a large extent.

The water level on July 4 last year was 2,279.46 feet, as against the maximum of 2,284 feet. On Saturday, the water level stood at 2,255.53 feet due to the weak monsoon.

“In normal rainfall years, farmers get water from the dam around July 15-20. There is no water in the dam this year, and we have stopped all our farm activities. Groundwater levels have also depleted due to poor rains, and borewells are not yielding water,” said Siddesh, who cultivates paddy in his 7-acre plot in Kurubur village.