For the eighth consecutive year, Tamil Nadu has announced that it will not be able to release water for the Kuruvai (short-term) crop due to acute water shortage in the state. Previously, on June 12, the sluice gates of the Mettur Dam were opened and water released for Kuruvai cultivation.

The last time this was done was in 2012. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu State Food and Civil Supplies Minister R Kamaraj announced the state’s inability to release water for agricultural purposes.
Farmers in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, and parts of Cuddalore district are likely to be affected and the Kuruvai crop this year will likely be planted only by those who have access to borewell water.
As per Kamaraj, poor water storage level in Mettur Dam forced the government’s hand. “Due to the poor storage level, the TN government is not in a position to open water from Mettur Dam for Kuruvai cultivation on June 12,” the state minister told the media at Thiruvarur, one of the delta districts in TN.