Farmers in Sivaganga Protest Delay in Vaigai Irrigation Re-examination Amid Water Shortage Crisis
मुख्य बातें
- •The Vaigai dam supplies irrigation water to 1.36 lakh acres across Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts through 374 ancestral tanks.
- •Water distribution follows a 2:3:7 ratio across three irrigation reaches, but reduced inflow due to upstream dams has severely limited water availability.
- •Farmers report that water is released for only 10 days outside monsoon, leaving thousands of acres fallow and pushing agricultural lands toward urban conversion.
- •Despite past recommendations by the Water Resources Department, a re-examination of the irrigation system has not begun, prompting urgent protests from farmers.
Farmers in Sivaganga district have raised strong concerns over the prolonged delay in re-examining the ancestral Vaigai irrigation system, which has led to severe water scarcity and left thousands of acres of agricultural land fallow. The Vaigai dam stores water under two separate credits: Periyar credit and Vaigai credit. Only the Vaigai credit water is released into the Vaigai River, supplying irrigation to 1.36 lakh acres of land across Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts. This irrigation network relies on 374 ancestral Vaigai irrigation tanks spread across the three districts.
The irrigation system is divided into three reaches, each serving different areas. The first reach, from Peranai to Viraganur Regulator, covers 27,420 acres through 46 tanks. The second reach, from Viraganur Regulator to Parthibanur Regulator, serves 40,743 acres across 87 tanks. The third reach, from Parthibanur Regulator to Ramanathapuram Big Tank, irrigates the largest area—67,837 acres. Water distribution follows a specific ratio: two shares to the first reach, three shares to the second, and seven shares to the third.
