Groundwater level in Mayiladuthurai, Kuttalam, Thiruvaiyaru and Needamangalam is reported to have depleted to such an extent that shallow-point pump sets have failed to bale out the water. In Nagapattinam district, shallow-point pump sets with a depth of 10 to 40 feet in Ananthanallur, Kuzhaiyur, Chithamur and Komal in Kuttalam block; Manganallur, Vazhuvur, Pandaravadai and Vadavur in Mayavaram block and Narasinganallur in Sembanarkoil block have failed.

Kuruvai cultivation was taken up in about 15,000 hectares only this year in Nagapattinam district compared to around 35,000 hectares last year. Huge cracks have started appearing on paddy fields in these areas, as farmers were not able to irrigate the land at a stretch. The water table had depleted to such an extent that farmers, with more than 40ft shallow-point pumps in Komal and Chithamur are able to pump out water continuously for an hour only. They are forced to switch off the sets for next two hours to allow recharging of water in borewells.

Even this act of crisis management had not helped some farmers to save their crop from discolouration. ``If the same situation continues for the next few days, we have to lose our crop'', they lament.

A visit to the affected villages revealed that in a bid to save the standing crop several farmers have taken up deepening of shallow-point borewells. Poor financial position prevented farmers from installing submersible pumps.

``Moreover, water from borewells in Keeranur and Porumbur areas turning saline made us to reconsider the option'', they said.

Marimuthu and Jayarama Chettiar of Komal said though they used to raise kuruvai with filter points initially, they would switch over to river water irrigation subsequently and through this they were able to preserve the groundwater table for raising crops during summer.

Meanwhile, enquiries reveal that groundwater level have depleted in Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district and Needamangalam in Tiruvarur district.

Stating that failure in recharging of aquifers— which squarely depends on the Cauvery— has led to this situation, the secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, S. Ranganathan, said if present situation continues it would affect the standing kuruvai crop in these areas. Expressing anguish over the situation prevailing in the so called `evergreen' delta area of Nagapattinam district, the secretary of Federation of Farmers Associations in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, Arupathi Kalyanam, has urged the Centre to compensate the delta ryots as they are not able to take up kuruvai cultivation due to Karnataka's stance on the Cauvery issue.