Tamil Nadu's Mettur dam opens for irrigation

COIMBATORE:  Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply KN Nehru on Sunday released water from the Mettur dam for irrigating delta districts in the state.

Water could not be opened on the customary date of June 12 for ‘kuruvai’ (short-term) cultivation due to poor storage position in the reservoir. However, an intense southwest monsoon resulted in heavy rains in the catchment areas in Karnataka resulting in surplus discharge of water from the state's reservoirs.

As water inflow to the reservoir rose above 1.50 lakh cusecs (cubic feet per second) on Sunday, the storage in the dam also surged to 109.20 feet as against its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin chaired a meeting with district collectors from the delta region and officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) and issued a direction for the release of 12,000 cusecs of water from the reservoir. The CM also said that the water would be released to irrigate the short-term standing 'kuruvai' crops, which would also enable people to celebrate the 'Aadiperukku' festival in the coming days with fervour.

Following this, Minister KN Nehru released 5,000 cusecs initially at 3 pm. It was gradually increased to 12,000 by night.

Addressing the media, KN Nehru said that even though Karnataka has refused to release Tamil Nadu’s due share of Cauvery River water despite insistence from CM Stalin, the monsoon rains have come in handy.

.“Currently, 1.55 lakh cusecs of water have been gushing towards Mettur dam. Farmers should make use of this water to fill up lakes and ponds in the delta districts,” he said.

The combined surplus water discharge from KRS and Kabini dams is around 1.65 lakh cusecs. From 1.41 lakh cusecs on Saturday night, the water realized at Biligundlu, the entry point of the Cauvery River into Tamil Nadu, increased to 1.58 lakh cusecs at 2 pm on Sunday.

Meanwhile, due to heavy flooding in the Cauvery River, people from several low-lying houses in Hogenakkal were evacuated and sheltered in a marriage hall after water entered their localities. 

Tourists were disallowed from bathing in the Hogenakkal Falls and coracle services remained suspended for the 13th consecutive day due to heavy flooding in the area.

A flood alert has also been sounded in the downstream areas along the banks of the Cauvery in districts through which the river flows. 

Water released from the dam irrigates 16 lakh acres in around 13 districts: Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Perambalur, and Mayiladurai.

Meanwhile, Delta farmers urged the State government to issue an order to formalise the release of water for irrigation. "Though the government releases water, it did not issue an order that water be released for irrigation. This shows the government's uneasiness over last year's experience (when it was unable to supply sufficient water for kuruvai season)," said Cauvery S Dhanapalan, general secretary of the Cauvery Farmers' Protection Association.