Dam reopens after delta farmers request water for long-term samba crop
The dam has been reopened after it was shut on October 23 following representations from the delta farmers for the long-term samba crop
Salem: With monsoon rains relenting, the Mettur dam, which irrigates the paddy belt of Tamil Nadu, has been reopened for farming operations in the delta districts. At 6 pm on Thursday, about 8,000 cusecs of water gushed off the massive shutters of the Mettur dam to irrigate the farmlands in the delta areas. The dam has been reopened after it was shut on October 23 following representations from the delta farmers for the long-term samba crop, Public Works Department (PWD) officials said here.
Over the last few weeks, incessant rains pounding the delta region spanning 12 districts including Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur had inundated the paddy fields. Hence, farmers had requested the PWD to temporarily shut the dam. With the monsoon rains receding, the farmers have sought the reopening of the dam for irrigation. The water level in the 120 feet high dam stands at a comfortable 103. 57 feet.
According to the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association’s Thannjavur district secretary, K.Sugumaran, the rain water which had inundated the fields have receded and in some areas, completely dried up. “The discharge of water from Mettur dam should be gradually stepped up to 15,000 cusecs to benefit the farms in the tail-end areas of the Cauvery course too,” he urged.
In a comfortable water season, the government opens the Mettur dam every June 12 for cultivating the short-term Kuruvai paddy crop. However, as the storage in Mettur was abysmally low this June, the opening of the dam was put off to August 10. Since then, water was discharged non-stop till 23 October. After about a 10-day gap, water has begun to gush out of the Mettur again.
( Source : dc )
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