Cauvery water may not reach tail-end regions as canal desilting lags in delta

Farmers in the Cauvery delta are anxiously waiting to see if water from the Mettur Dam will reach the tail-end regions, as canal desilting work remains incomplete in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts. The dam was opened on September 1 for 45 days at 3,000 cubic feet per second, expected to irrigate about 16 lakh acres across 12 districts. However, incomplete desilting of branch canals like Moongiladi and Pandathan in Nagapattinam has raised concerns. In Thanjavur, the Arasalar river remains overgrown with bushes, affecting 1.5 lakh acres, while farmers in Tiruvarur are urging desilting of the Maraikkayar river, which serves over 30,000 acres across 25 villages and has not been cleaned for 20 years.