Weather and Crop Condition Report District DISTRICT PROFILE : lies on the extreme north of . It is bounded mostly by State and also River Palar covers pretty long distance. To the East lies and Districts. Dindugal District is its immediate neighbour to the South and on the West, it has and Nilgiri Districts, as its boundaries. Thus Erode District is essentially a land-locked area having no sea-cost of its own. Erode District situated at between 10 36” and 11 58” North Latitude and between 76 49” and 77 58” East Longitude. The region comprised in the district can be portrayed as a long undulating plain gently sloping towards the river Cauvery in the south-east. The two major tributaries of river Cauvery viz. Bhavani and Noyyal drain the long stretch of mountains in the north. A part of the eastern boundary of the district is formed by river Cauvery, entering the district from Salem and flowing in a southernly direction. DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP : Erode district is divided into two Revenue divisions Erode and . There are 9 taluks and 375 Revenue villages. Erode Corporation is the only corporation in Erode district. There are four Municipalities namely Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam, and Punjai Pulliampatti. There are 44 Town panchayats and 230 Village Panchayats. The village panchayats are grouped into 14 Nos., of Panchayat Unions (Blocks or Community Development Blocks) as listed below: ERODE DISTRICT - BLOCKWISE AREA DETAILS Name of Name of Taluk Nam e of Area in S.No Revenue the block hectare Division 1. Erode Erode Erode 17763 Modakuruchi Modakkurichi 34889 Kodumudi Kodumudi 22564 Perundurai Perundurai 29235 28495 2. Gobi Gobi Gobichettipalayam 27004 Nambiyur 24908 Thookanaickenpalayam 18445 Sathyamangalam Sathyamangalam 96328 28229 Talavadi Talavadi 94000 Bhavani Bhavani 22036 Ammapettai 39700 Anthiyur 23371 Ammapettai 65296 Total Area 572263

TOPOGRAPHY: Topography of the district can be portrayed as a long undulating plain gently sloping from North West towards the river Cauvery in the south-east and has rock out crops. The north western part of the district which includes Thalavadi, Sathyamangalam, Gobichettypalayam, Bhavani Sagar, Bhavani, Andhiyur, Ammapet blocks is flanked by southern slopes of eastern ghats. The district is bounded at the north by of which the Thimbam hills and Thalavadi ranges attain an elevation of 1200 metre. The north western part of the district is forest area and the elevation ranges from 600 to 1350 m. In the plains the elevation ranges from 150 to 300 m. southerly direction. A small patch of area almost plain and the elevation ranges from 100 to 150 m falls western side of Cauvery river. CLIMATE AND RAINFALL The district in general is characterised with a scanty rainfall and a dry climate. Maximum rainfall is recorded in Gobichettipalayam and Bhavani taluks. The Palghat gap in the Western Ghats, which has a soothing effect in the climate of Coimbatore District, does not render much help in bringing down the dry climate in this area. The cool-wind that gushes out of the west coast through Palghat gap looses its coolness and becomes dry by the time it crosses Coimbatore district and reaches Erode region Unlike Coimbatore which is blessed with a health-aiding climate, Erode District has dry weather throughout except during the monsoon season. Generally the first two months of the year are pleasant, but in March, Mercury gains an upward trend which persists till the end of May. Highest temperature is normally recorded during May. The scanty showers during this period do not provide any relief to the oppressive heat. There is a light improvement in the climate during June-August period. During this pre-monsoon period, the mercury reverses its trend and by September, the sky gets overcast heavily but the rains are meagre. North-east monsoon sets in vigorously only during October-November and by December, the rains disappear rendering the climate clear but pleasant.

S.No Season Month Rainfall in mm 1. Winter showers Jan, Feb : 25.6 2. Summer showers Mar - May : 162.2 3. Southwest monsoon June - Sep : 212.9 4. Northeast monsoon Oct - Dec : 316.3 Total 717.0

RAINFALL DETAILS

S.No Month Normal 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1. January 15 15.9 7.8 0.1 2.5 0 0.81 0 0.97 0.00 0.00 1.19 0.00

2. February 10.6 24.5 - 7 28.9 0 0 9.89 0.00 33.08 0.00 0.00 0.00

Winter 25.6 40.4 7.8 7.1 31.4 0 0.81 9.89 0.97 33.08 0.00 1.19 0.00

3. March 17.2 10.6 23.5 0.4 103.12 39.81 8.17 0 0.42 0.90 2.00 19.77 0.25

4. April 54 111.4 54.3 61.8 37.5 18.61 17.3 127.21 62.98 43.52 3.88 104.90 14.36

5. May 91 141.7 58 28.1 72.5 138.87 150.73 99.9 64.22 43.83 74.93 104.17 29.40

Summer 162.2 263.7 135.8 90.3 213.1 197.29 176.2 227.11 127.62 88.25 80.81 228.84 44.01

6. June 29.8 28 32.5 37.3 11.35 8.41 22.13 25.9 14.35 54.99 27.77 50.00 49.72

7. July 33.3 59.1 0.9 24.1 41.78 15.72 89.25 42.77 34.19 6.75 35.59 4.75 65.51

8. August 64.2 66.6 58.6 65.4 122.51 63.99 102.48 92.88 62.44 74.96 92.74 74.75 36.74

9. September 85.6 82 86.1 95.6 45.73 91.57 90.87 63.27 74.19 81.38 131.52 99.43 10.76 S.W. 212.9 235.7 178.1 222.4 221.4 179.69 304.73 224.82 185.17 218.08 287.62 228.93 162.73 Monsoon

10. October 168.8 87.7 182.8 163.9 196.49 76.08 112.1 183.30 179.76 135.78 328.15 119.38 34.5

11. November 113.7 228.1 193.3 83.3 79.5 181.21 330.48 197.31 49.36 51.18 48.43 256.63 14

12. December 33.8 - 6.3 227.8 21.06 15.41 38.88 27.13 6.07 15.72 19.20 18.00 26.8 N.E. 316.3 315.8 382.4 475 297.1 272.7 481.46 407.74 235.19 202.68 395.78 394.01 75.3 Monsoon Total 717.0 855.6 704.1 794.8 762.9 649.68 963.20 869.56 548.95 542.09 764.21 852.97 282.04

MONTHLY AVERGE CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA (From 2001 to 2012 )

Rainfall in Temperature in ° Relative

mm C Humidity in %

S.No Month Monthly Average Daily Average Max. Min. Mean Max. Min. Mean Pan Evaporation in mm/day hours Sunshine Wind speed in Km/hr No. of days rainy 1. January 6.77 0.23 32.3 22.5 27.4 77 52 64.5 5.8 6.8 6.6 0.3 2. February 13.96 0.47 31.5 23.1 27.3 74 46 60 6.4 8.3 6.2 0.7 3. March 28.43 0.95 34.8 24.5 29.7 76 45 60.5 7.2 8.3 5.8 1.8 4. April 53.23 1.77 32.8 23.8 28.3 78 56 67 7.1 7.6 5.3 2.2 5. May 86.14 2.87 38.2 26.2 32.2 70 53 61.5 7.6 8.1 5.4 3.9 6. June 31.43 1.05 34.5 24.8 29.7 67 51 59 7.8 7.6 8.2 2.4 7. July 43.15 1.44 36.5 26.2 31.4 63 48 55.5 8 6.6 10.6 1.8 8. August 71.18 2.37 36.5 24.5 30.5 63 48 55.5 8.4 7.8 9.1 3.8 9. September 82.07 2.74 38.2 24.2 31.2 68 53 60.5 7.9 7.4 6.5 3.9 10. October 221 7.37 34.8 24.3 29.6 67 53 60 6.3 6.1 5.1 6.9 11. November 140.9 4.70 32.1 21.2 26.7 77 62 69.5 4.3 4.3 5.3 5.8 12. December 33.81 1.13 30.5 22.9 26.7 82 63 72.5 5.2 4.5 6.8 1 Source :Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar

METEOROLOGICALPARAMETERS :

TEMPERTURE Erode experiences hot and dry weather throughout the year. The temperature ranges from a maximum of 96 °F (36 °C) to a minimum of 80 °F (27 °C). Like the rest of the state, April to June are the hottest months and December to January are the coldest. Erode receives 800 mm of rainfall with an average of 717 mm. The South west monsoon, with an onset in June and lasting up to August, brings scanty rainfall. Bulk of the rainfall is received during the North East monsoon in the months of October, November and December. The municipality covers an area of 8.44 km2 (8,440,000 m2).The records of this observatory may be taken as fairly the representive of the condition of the district. RELATIVE HUMIDITY The relative humidity in general, during the year is between 5 to 63 per cent in the interior parts of the district, except during the northwest monsoon season, when it is over 65 per cent. SOURCES OF WATER AVAILABILITY Water is an important determinant factor of production of crops in agriculture sector. Intensive and extensive cultivation of land depend mainly on the availability of water. The various sources of irrigation are canals, tanks, tube wells, Open wells and Borewells. Erode district is blessed with the Western Ghats from which all the perennial rivers follow and drain towards the east. Major part of the district is falling in part of east flowing Cauvery river basin as per the Irrigation Atlas of . Palar Maleru, Suvaranvati, Bhavani, R.B.Cauvery, Moyar, Below dam, Kallar, Vanathangarai, Noyil, Vattamalai, Uppar odai, Nangangai, are the sub basins. The district is further sub divided into number of minar basins.The river Cauvery flows along the eastern border of the district. Most of the rivers and streams drained the district form the tributaries to the Cauvery river. The , which has its origin in the Silent Valley range of State, enters the district about 30 km west of Bhavanisagar and flows more or less in an easterly direction and confluences with the river Cauvery at Bhavani town. is a major tributary of the river Bhavani. The river Bhavani is tamed by a reservoir namely the Bhavanisagar. The Palar river originating in the south Bargur forest flows in north-easterly and easterly directions. Maniyar Halla, Tatta Halla, Kathala Halla, Yemahatti Halla and Dinnepattipaliam are the important minor tributaries of the Palar river. The Noyil River draining the southern part of the district has its origin in the Boluvampatty valley of the Vellingiri hills of Western Ghats enter the district flowing from Coimbatore district. CANAL IRRIGATION River water is being stored by constructing dams and anicuts. Such stored water is drawn through channels to irrigate the land during all seasons. Channels are also laid out from the rivers to divert water in various directions. To draw water to various direction from the main channel, a number of sub-channels or branch channels and feeder channels are laid. In these channels sluices are fitted at the appropriate places in various dimensions and thus water is distributed to a very long distance. A channel has a number of sluices depending on the area covered under irrigation. In order to cultivate more land, new channels are dug out from the rivers, dams and tanks. In Erode district, 45% of irrigated land is under channel irrigation. Erode district experiences sound rainfall through the North East monsoon. The South West monsoon brings limited rain and during the rest of the year, it is rather dry. The Major irrigation reservoirs S.No Name of the Year of Maximum Maximum Ayacut Due date of Release of Reservoir Construction Water Capacity Area Water Level (in (in MCft) (in Ha) Feet) Date on which the level 1. Lower Bhavani 1955 76 32800 57817 Dam reaches 90 feet 1nd June- for Kar 2. 1980 42 130 2115 season; 1st Oct-for Pisanam season 1nd June- for Kar 3. Varuttupallam Dam 1978 38 110 1652 season; 1st Oct-for Pisanam season TANK IRRIGATION The channel irrigation could not meet the irrigational requirements of the agriculturists fully to raise crops in barren and dry lands in the district. hence agriculturists have to rely on minor irrigation sources such as tanks, ponds and wells to bring more land under cultivation. 1 The minor irrigation schemes mostly comprise of surface water flows, tank storage, lift schemes and ground water schemes like wells, tube wells and small streams. Tank irrigation is best suited where it is not possible to construct channels and when sub-soil water is scanty. Tanks are generally water storage places, which impound rainwater, streams and rivers for irrigation and domestic purposes. They are feasible mostly in areas where streams or rivers flow. Tanks are formed by natural depression or man made hallow, raised either by deepening the earth or by raising the bunds, depending on the level of the landed area. Details of Tanks in the district Sl.No. Name of the System Capacity Non- Capacity Total Total Capacity Department tanks (cu.m) system (cu.m) (cu.m) Tanks or Rainfed tanks 1. Public Works 1020 92415812450 125 784285120 1145 93200097570 Department 2. Rural -- -- 1462 2045002450 1462 2045002450 Development Total 1020 92415812450 1587 2829287570 2607 95245100020

WELL IRRIGATION

Next to tank irrigation, wells are widely used as an important source of irrigation. Cultivation with the aid of well is perhaps the speciality of peasants in the non-river fed and tank-fed areas. Wells are largely used to supplement uncertain supply of the tanks and channels. Moreover wells are the most vital source and basic means of obtaining ground water resources for irrigation. The ground water resource are dynamic in nature as they grow with the expansion of irrigation. The rainy season's of North East and South West monsoons bring heavy flood. When it rains over a region, water percolates down through the porous soil. Percolation takes place continuously from water bodies such as ponds, tanks, rivers and channels. 94 Water that seeps through the porous soil, descends to a greater depth and reaches the rocky region. As the process of percolation continues, the accumulation of water below the ground is known as underground water. Underground water level is found at the ground level when there is heavy rainfall. Details of wells in Erode District

Open wells Borewells Total S. Yearly Yearly Yearly Name of Block No. Nos. draft in Nos. draft in Nos. draft in cum cum cum 1 Erode 3264 5548800 412 819880 3676 6368680 2 Modakurichi 11214 19063800 147 292530 11361 19356330 3 Kodumudi 7866 13372200 79 157210 7945 13529410 4 Perundurai 6085 10344500 885 1761150 6970 12105650 5 Chennimalai 6204 10546800 335 666650 6539 11213450 6 Ammapet 6073 10324100 384 764160 6457 11088260 7 Anthiyur 4312 7330400 245 487550 4557 7817950 8 Bhavani 5349 9093300 331 658690 5680 9751990 9 Gobichettipalayam 5677 9650900 1339 2664610 7016 12315510 10 Nambiyur 5236 8901200 1811 3603890 7047 12505090 11 T.N.Palayam 3322 5647400 666 1325340 3988 6972740 12 Sathyamangalam 5063 8607100 763 1518370 5826 10125470 13 Bhavanisagar 4225 7182500 704 1400960 4929 8583460 14 Thalavadi 1703 2895100 598 1190020 2301 4085120 Total 75593 128508100 8699 17311010 84292 145819110

Irrigation Source

Net Area Name of the Release Close Area S.No Covered Crops grown Irrigation Project Date Date (Acre.) (Acre.) Paddy 16062 Sugarcane 4942 Kodiveri Dam Turmeric 741 (Thadapalli and 15- Feb- 1. 26500 Banana 1236 Arakkankottai canal) Apr 15 49000 Acre Others- Millets- Vegetables, 3520 Coconut Paddy 5683 Sugarcane 4900 16- 2 24600 April 30 Turmeric 5850 ( 28000 Acre ) Jun Banana 2700 Others 5467 Paddy 11861 Sugarcane 2471 West bank Tapioco 1483 3 canal 17574 01-Aug 31-Dec Others- Millets- (45000 Acre ) Vegetables, 1759 Coconut Paddy 79072 Sugarcane 8154 August- Turmeric 4942 4 L.B.P - I turn 94629 15-Dec 15th Others- Millets- Vegetables, 2461 Coconut Groundnut, . 37065 L.B.P - II turn 91600 15-Dec April 15 Gingelly 49593 Fodder Cholam 4942 Sugarcane 247 coconut 82 Groundnut, . 84 Paddy 99 5 Gunderipallam 2474 01-Oct 31-Jan Maize 62 Fodder Cholam 988 Banana 247 Onion 445 Turmeric 185 Sugarcane 914 Maize 161 6 Varattupallam 2923 01-Oct 15-Feb Fodder Cholam 618 Turmeric 89 Cotton 153 7 Orathupalayam 99 … 0 Total 260399

SCENARIO OF HORTICULTURE CROPS Normal area under horticulture crops in Erode District is about 32028 hectare and about 15% of the total cultivable area. Banana and Mango are two major fruit crops grown in the district and banana grown in 9700 ha and mango grown in 767 hectare. Among vegetables, Onion is grown in an area of 1420 hectare. Potato is grown in extent of 525 ha in Thalavady hills followed by tomato, beans, bhendi, brinjal and greens. In hilly areas cole vegetables like cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, beetroot etc., are also grown in considerable extent. Tapioca is another major crop mainly grown for industrial purpose and normal area is about 6000 hectare in the district. Spices and condiments grown in an area about 7200 hectare and turmeric is only major spice crop grown in the district and about 7000 hectare is normally grown. Erode is the famous market centre for turmeric in the country. Major plantation crops grown in the district is Arecanut and about 300 hectare is under this crop. Jasmine is an important flower crop grown in the district and its larger area concentrated in one taluk namely Sathyamangalam and flowers send to various places in the state and also neighboring state like Karnatak and Kerala. Apart from Jasmine, tuberose, marigold, mullai are other flower crops grown in the district. Area Of Horticultural Crops

S.No Details Normal Area in ha. Area in ha. 2017 1. Fruits 11052 11293 2. Vegetables 9861 11774 3. Spices &Condiments 7243 6112 4. Plantation crops 748 746 5. Medicinal crops 12 25 6. Flowers 2080 2078 Total 30996 32028

Area of Important Horticulture Crops in Erode District Normal Area S.No Particulars (ha) A. Fruits 1 Banana 9720 2 Mango 700 3 Guava 90 4 Sapota 55 5 Papaya 162 6 Pomegranate 70 7 Amla 175 8 Lemon 60 B. Vegetables 1 Potato 275 2 Tapioca 6000 4 Yam 120 7 Onion 1415 8 Bhendi 225 9 Brinjal 150 10 Lab-lab 75 11 Cabbage 175 12 Tomato 250 13 Beans 350 14 Karamani 260 15 Drumstick 70 16 Greens 25 17 Water melon 300 C. Spices & Condimends 1 Chillies 80 2 Garlic 30 3 Turmeric 7000 4 Tamarind 100 D. Plantation Crops 1 BetelVine 33 2 Arecanut 300 3 Cocoa 200 E. Flowers 1 Jasmine 1380 2 Mullai 90 3 Mary Gold 250 4 Tube rose 340

Present Conditions of various Horticulture Crops

Total area covered under horticulture crops upto December is 26183 ha as against the normal area of 32028 ha . However, the area under banana and turmeric is reduced due to failure of S.W.Monsoon and N.E.Monsoon. The present conditions of the major horticulture crops are discussed hereunder. Name of the Area Normal S.No Covered Conditions of the crop crop area (Ha.) so far (Ha) Normally, Oct-Dec is the planting season for Banana in the district. But, nowadays Banana is planted through out the year except in the month of Feb-May . Standing crop is in the 1. Banana 9720 6345 range of 4-8 months old. Generally, the standing crop in some pockets started to show withering symptoms due to low rainfall received during both the monsoons. There is no significant outbreak of Pest and Disease. Small Onion is grown as intercrop in the turmeric during Kharif season and grown as pure crop in Rabi. Hence, crops planted in the 2. Onion 1415 765 Kharif season harvested and pure crop should have been planted in the month of Nov-Dec. Due to failure of monsoon the area under small onion is reduced to 50 % than the normal. Potato is grown in the Thalavady hills in both 3. Potato 275 525 the season. Kharif crop is over and the cultivation during Rabi crop was not taken up due to failure of N.E.Monsoon. Tomato is planted in two seasons mainly in the month of July-August and also in the month of Dec-Jan. However, in some area where assured 4. Tomato 250 121 irrigation facilities available it is grown throughout the year. Standing crop started showing wilting symptoms. There is no significant outbreak of Pest and Disease Tapioca is grown as rain fed and irrigated crop. Rainfed crop is generally planted in the hill tracts of the district in the month of June- July and the standing crop is 6-7 months old 5. Tapioca 6000 5564 and growth is stunted due to deficit rainfall. The irrigated crop will be planted during Oct- Nov. Due to failure of N.E.Monsoon, the area coverage under tapioca is reduced. Turmeric is a major spice crop grown in the Erode district. Planting season starts April 15th to July last and some time it extends upto August. This year due deficit S.W.Monsoon and non opening of doors in the to 6. Turmeric 7000 6986 let the water into West bank Canal, Bhanisagar Dam - L.B., Canal,,Kalingarayan canal, the crop growth is reduced. Presently the standing crop is started to show wilting symptoms and in few pockets the foliage is completely dried. Generally, the standing crop in some pockets started to show withering symptoms due 7. Jasmine 1380 1294 failure of N.E., Monsoon. There is no significant outbreak of Pest and Disease.