District|Tamil Nadu|Cauvery Delta sub-basin
Thanjavur district
71% of the irrigated farmland runs on canal water released at Mettur (Season and Crop Report 2024-25), 6 of 9 taluks already draw more groundwater than recharges and 1 more is close to that line, and all 4,33,496 households on the JJM register are recorded with a tap, a 100.0% that reads as a reporting convention rather than a measurement.
Read as of 2026-08-31, from 589 Gram Panchayats in 14 blocks, 586 of them with a brief that cleared the evidence floor.
1,86,066 ha net irrigated: canals 70.5%, tanks 0%, tube and bore wells 29.5%, open wells 0%, other sources 0%. Supplementary wells (21,468 ha net) supplement other sources and are not additive.
District stage of extraction 100.8%, assessed over-exploited. Assessed per revenue taluk, not per block or Panchayat.
4,33,496 connections against 4,33,496 households in 586 Panchayats. Exactly 100.0% is read as reported complete, not measured.
What would sharpen this reading
- Live Mettur storage (the tnsmart daily reservoir feed), not wired yet.
- A measured groundwater level series for the taluks in deficit, so the assessment can be read against observation.
- A habitation-level check of the 100.0% tap figure against a survey, to tell reported complete from measured.
- The District Environment Plan water balance (NGT template), not yet on file.
What the district runs on
Irrigation from the district tables of the Season and Crop Report 2024-25, with the Census 2011 village pattern beneath it as the block-level baseline; drinking water from the sources JJM records today. A Panchayat without a measure lowers that measure’s denominator rather than counting as a zero.
- Canals70.5%(1,31,263 ha)
- Tanks0.0%(0 ha)
- Tube and bore wells29.5%(54,803 ha)
- Open wells0.0%(0 ha)
- Other sources0.0%(0 ha)
Season and Crop Report 2024-25, Table III-B, the district total: gross 2,85,787 ha with 99,721 ha irrigated more than once (intensity 1.54). The report's supplementary-wells column ('by all other types of wells') waters land already counted under the sources above, so its 21,468 ha net is recorded separately and never added to the net total.
- Canals80.3%(98,339 ha)
- Wells19.4%(23,758 ha)
- Tanks0.1%(122 ha)
- Other sources0.2%(245 ha)
Census 2011 village tables, covering 438 of 589 Panchayats with a land record. Kept beneath the current reading because it is the only served source with a block gradient.
- Ground Water97.8%(6,780)
- Others1.1%(75)
- Surface Water1.0%(66)
- Bulk water (from MVS)0.2%(14)
JJM, read 2026-08-31. Commonest source types: Deep Tubewell (6,479), Shallow Tubewell (155), Open Well (124), Non Conventional Methods (Tribal/Others) (59).
The district irrigates from the canal and drinks from the aquifer: 97.8% of the 6,935 drinking-water sources JJM records here draw on groundwater (6,479 of them deep tubewells), against 66 on surface water.
The Mettur dependence
With 80.3% of irrigated farmland on canal water, the district's water year is decided by the release at Mettur, upstream of every block here. The canal share is the Census 2011 pattern; whether a given season's release reached the tail end is not in any served source.
Groundwater by taluk
IN-GRES assesses revenue taluks, not blocks or Panchayats. These are the units the district is actually assessed in, and the headroom reading is written from them.
IN-GRES 2024-2025 puts total groundwater availability across the 9 taluks at 1,04,571 ham a year, 63,022 ham of it rainfall recharge, with 13,621 ham (13%) left for future use. Of the 9 taluks, 6 over-exploited, 1 critical and 2 semi-critical. The district as a whole is assessed over-exploited at 100.8% of extraction. Headroom sits mostly in Peravurani (2,815 ham) and is thinnest in Thiruvaiyaru (201 ham).
| Taluk | Stage of extraction | Category | Rainfall recharge (ham) | Total availability (ham) | Left for future use (ham) | Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thiruvidaimarudhur | 124.8% | over-exploited | 5,561 | 8,034 | 255 | 1225 |
| Thiruvaiyaru | 110.9% | over-exploited | 2,491 | 4,458 | 201 | 891 |
| Kumbakonam | 109.6% | over-exploited | 5,362 | 9,220 | 846 | 1102 |
| Orathanadu | 108.2% | over-exploited | 12,032 | 18,261 | 2,047 | 1047 |
| Papanasam | 100.7% | over-exploited | 7,750 | 14,263 | 1,151 | 1063 |
| Pattukkottai | 100.1% | over-exploited | 14,397 | 22,816 | 2,474 | 1114 |
| Thanjavur | 92.3% | critical | 6,533 | 10,431 | 1,879 | 889 |
| Peravurani | 84.0% | semi-critical | 5,488 | 10,039 | 2,815 | 928 |
| Budalur | 76.1% | semi-critical | 3,408 | 7,048 | 1,954 | 914 |
IN-GRES 2024-2025. The stage of extraction is annual draft as a share of total availability; above 100 percent, more is drawn each year than the taluk is assessed to have. Rainfall recharge is one component of that availability. The year is the hydrological-year label, not an edition date. 586 of 589 Panchayats inherit their containing taluk's category by spatial intersection, as containing-area context rather than a measurement of the place; 3 are deferred rather than guessed.
Blocks compared
The same measures per block. Where a district average hides a gradient, this is where it shows, and the findings are written before the table rather than left for the reader to find.
Canal share runs from 100.0% in Papanasam, Thiruppanandal and Thiruvidaimarudur to 58.5% in Orathanadu; wells fill the difference, 41.2% of irrigated farmland at the bottom of the gradient against 0.0% at the top.
No block reports a tap gap: every block records exactly 100.0% of households with a connection.
14 of 14 blocks report exactly 100.0% of households with a tap, and so does the district as a whole. A figure that exact across 4,33,496 households is a reporting convention, connections entered equal to households, and is read here as reported complete rather than measured.
| Drinking water, JJM | Farmland irrigation, Census 2011 | Groundwater, IN-GRES | Water bodies, TNGIS | Water-quality testing, JJM | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Panchayats | Households with a tap | Irrigated area | from canals | from wells | from tanks | Taluk category, projected | Mapped | Untested 90+ d | Longest since tested |
| Ammapet | 46 | 100.0% | 12,023 ha | 90.4% | 9.6% | 0.0% | over-exploited(46 of 46) | 343 | 0 | 86 d |
| Budalur | 42 | 100.0% | 8,613 ha | 87.6% | 11.5% | 0.9% | semi-critical(42 of 42) | 292 | 0 | 63 d |
| Kumbakonam | 47 | 100.0% | 5,609 ha | 98.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | over-exploited(47 of 47) | 241 | 0 | 26 d |
| Madukkur | 33 | 100.0% | 6,973 ha | 62.7% | 35.8% | 0.0% | over-exploited(33 of 33) | 431 | 0 | 28 d |
| Orathanadu | 58 | 100.0% | 17,987 ha | 58.5% | 41.2% | 0.0% | over-exploited(58 of 58) | 810 | 0 | 13 d |
| Papanasam | 34 | 100.0% | 5,525 ha | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | over-exploited(34 of 34) | 131 | 0 | 53 d |
| Pattukkottai | 43 | 100.0% | 8,890 ha | 60.3% | 39.7% | 0.0% | over-exploited(43 of 43) | 584 | 0 | 23 d |
| Peravurani | 26 | 100.0% | 6,629 ha | 67.7% | 32.3% | 0.0% | over-exploited(26 of 26) | 258 | 0 | 27 d |
| Sethubavachatram | 37 | 100.0% | 6,643 ha | 86.0% | 13.9% | 0.0% | semi-critical(37 of 37) | 540 | 0 | 20 d |
| Thanjavur | 61 | 100.0% | 12,120 ha | 85.8% | 13.6% | 0.6% | critical(61 of 61) | 540 | 0 | 60 d |
| Thiruppanandal | 44 | 100.0% | 9,145 ha | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | over-exploited(44 of 44) | 224 | 0 | 51 d |
| Thiruvaiyaru | 40 | 100.0% | 6,170 ha | 97.5% | 2.5% | 0.0% | over-exploited(40 of 40) | 116 | 0 | 47 d |
| Thiruvidaimarudur | 48 | 100.0% | 7,487 ha | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | over-exploited(48 of 48) | 246 | 0 | 55 d |
| Thiruvonam | 30 | 100.0% | 8,650 ha | 61.7% | 38.3% | 0.0% | over-exploited(27 of 30) | 269 | 0 | 37 d |
Canal, well and tank figures are shares of the irrigated farmland beside them, not of households and not of drinking water. They come from Census 2011 (Census 2011 release; village reference year 2009) and cover only the 438 Panchayats with a Census land record, so a block with few such records shows a share of a small area. Tap and testing figures are JJM and current at the read date. The taluk category is the one most of the block’s Panchayats inherit by projection, since blocks and revenue taluks do not nest. Untested counts Panchayats whose most recent water-quality sample is more than 90 days before 2026-08-31; ninety days is the Atlas’s own threshold for calling a series stale, not a statutory testing interval.
Water bodies
The TNGIS all-water-bodies register, joined to each Panchayat by the register's own LGD code rather than by a name match.
In 565 Panchayats; 24 have none in the register. Registered by AED, DOSS, NRSC, TNRD, WRD. Waterspread is the mapped extent, not storage: it says nothing about whether these hold water through the year or when any one of them was last surveyed. Read 2026-08-31.
District Environment Plan water balance
Every district files an Environment Plan on the NGT template, with a water balance in it. When the plan for this district is found, its balance is read here.
Find a Gram Panchayat
Every one of the 589 LGD-coded Gram Panchayats is listed. A place shows a water profile only where its evidence cleared the floor (identity, population and drinking-water service established); the rest are directory records, kept so they can be found and reviewed.
589 Gram Panchayats. 4 reviewed brief, 582 water profile, 3 directory record.
| Gram Panchayat | Block | LGD code | Brief |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achampatti | Budalur | 228417 | Water profile |
| Adaikkathevan | Sethubavachatram | 228700 | Water profile |
| Adambai | Thiruvonam | 228882 | Water profile |
| Adanakottai | Orathanadu | 228539 | Water profile |
| Adhanur | Papanasam | 228597 | Water profile |
| Agaramangudi | Ammapet | 228371 | Water profile |
| Agarapettai | Budalur | 228418 | Water profile |
| Agarathur | Kumbakonam | 228459 | Water profile |
| Akkaraivattam | Thiruvonam | 228883 | Water profile |
| Aladikkumulai | Pattukkottai | 228631 | Water profile |
| Alagiyanayagipuram | Sethubavachatram | 228701 | Water profile |
| AlakKudi | Thanjavur | 228737 | Water profile |
| Alamelupuram | Budalur | 228419 | Water profile |
| Alampallam | Madukkur | 228506 | Water profile |
| Alangudi | Ammapet | 228372 | Water profile |
| Alathur | Madukkur | 228507 | Water profile |
| Alavandipuram | Papanasam | 228598 | Water profile |
| Alivalam | Peravurani | 228674 | Water profile |
| Alivoikkal | Orathanadu | 228540 | Water profile |
| Allur | Thiruvaiyaru | 228842 | Water profile |
| Ambadumelagaram | Thiruvaiyaru | 228843 | Water profile |
| Ambalapattu North | Orathanadu | 228541 | Water profile |
| Ambalapattu South | Orathanadu | 228542 | Water profile |
| Ammachatram | Kumbakonam | 228460 | Water profile |
| Ammaiyagaram | Thiruvaiyaru | 228844 | Water profile |
| Ammaiyandi | Peravurani | 228675 | Water profile |
| Ammangudi | Thiruvonam | 228884 | Water profile |
| Ammangudi | Thiruvidaimarudur | 228912 | Water profile |
| Anaikkadu | Pattukkottai | 228632 | Water profile |
| Anaikkarai | Thiruppanandal | 228798 | Water profile |
| Anaikkudi | Kumbakonam | 228461 | Water profile |
| Andalampettai | Thiruvidaimarudur | 228913 | Water profile |
| Andami | Madukkur | 228508 | Water profile |
| Andikkadu | Sethubavachatram | 228702 | Water profile |
| Annalagraharam | Kumbakonam | 228462 | Water profile |
| Annappanpettai | Ammapet | 228373 | Water profile |
| Aralur | Thiruppanandal | 228799 | Water profile |
| Arcadu | Budalur | 228420 | Water profile |
| Ariyapadaiveedu | Kumbakonam | 228463 | Water profile |
| Arumalaikkottai | Ammapet | 228374 | Water profile |
The district on a map
Every Panchayat with a mapped boundary is plotted from the centre of its own TNGIS polygon, not from a hand-entered coordinate. The marker is the Panchayat, not a settlement.
589 of 589 Panchayats have a mapped boundary. The polygons themselves are withheld pending the TNGIS licence reply.
How current these figures are
Not everything on this page is from the same year, and the gap is large. What each figure describes is listed separately from when the Atlas last read it, straight from each artifact's own record.
| Figures | Describes | Last read | Produced | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panchayat list and codes | 2021-03-11 (PDF CreationDate) | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | TNRD LGD directory, cross-checked against the current TNRD master on the retrieval date. |
| Drinking-water service, sources, testing | current at 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | Jal Jeevan Mission citizen corner: habitations, tap connections, sources, sample rows. |
| Irrigation by source, district | Season and Crop Report 2024-25 | 2026-09-01 | 2026-09-01 | DES Season and Crop Report Table III-B: net area irrigated per source at district grain. The block gradient below stays Census 2011 until a taluk-grain source is wired. |
| Land, irrigation and seasonal sources | Census 2011 release; village reference year 2009 | 2026-07-25 | 2026-07-25 | Census 2011 village tables, the newest village-level irrigation enumeration served here. The Season and Crop Report district mix above is the current reading; the 2017-18 Minor Irrigation Census (wells and tanks by village) is not wired yet. |
| Groundwater assessment | 2024-2025 | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | IN-GRES, assessed per revenue taluk. The year is the hydrological-year label. |
| Groundwater projected to Panchayats | 2024-2025 | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | Each Panchayat inherits its containing taluk's category by spatial intersection. |
| Rainfall | 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | Open-Meteo reanalysis at a grid point inside each Panchayat, not a gauge. |
| Water bodies | as mapped; the register carries no survey date | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | TNGIS all-water-bodies register, counts and areas only. |
| Panchayat briefs | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | 2026-08-31 | Generated from the families above; a place without identity, population and service stays directory-only. |
| Reviewed briefs | reviewed 2026-07-25 | 2026-07-25 | 2026-07-25 | Written by a person for the places named in them; preferred on those pages over the generated brief. |
The land, irrigation and seasonal-source figures are the oldest thing here by a wide margin. India’s 2021 census did not take place, so Census 2011 remains the most recent village-level enumeration and there is no newer source of the same granularity to replace it with. Those figures are kept under capabilities named historical, and the current-crop capability is left empty rather than answered with a 2009 number.