Delta farmers hand ceremonial welcome
The water that was released from the Mettur reached Mayanur barrage in Karur on Monday and hours later reached Thottiyam at around 9 am on Tuesday before slowly reaching Upper Anicut.
TIRUCHY: Delta farmers gave a ceremonial welcome to the water that reached the Upper Anicut (Mukkombu) on Tuesday after it was released from the Mettur dam.
After there was storage of water in the Mettur, a quantity of 23,000 cusecs of water was released from the reservoir for the Delta irrigation as well as the Aadi Perukku celebration.
The water that was released from the Mettur reached Mayanur barrage in Karur on Monday and hours later reached Thottiyam at around 9 am on Tuesday before slowly reaching Upper Anicut.
Around 1,578 cusecs of water were released into the Cauvery for Delta irrigation at around 4 pm and gradually it was increased to 2,000 cusecs.
Delta farmers who gathered at Upper Anicut gave a ceremonial welcome to the water that flowed down the Cauvery. They sprinkled flowers and paddy seeds to mark the beginning of the new cultivation season.
Officials said that the Upper Anicut is expected to receive around 20,000 cusecs by Wednesday and the entire water would be let into the Cauvery which is expected to reach the Grand
Anicut on Wednesday from where, it would be released for irrigation for Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam districts.
Meanwhile, the Tiruchy Collector M Pradeep Kumar issued a flood warning to the people residing along the banks of the river.
He also asked the people to avoid taking baths and selfies as the water flow would be heavy and would increase at any time. He also asked the residents not to encourage the children to bathe or swim in the river.