Chennai: Following copious inflows in the last few days into Mettur reservoir owing to heavy rains in neighbouring Karnataka and with the dam's water storage reaching 90 feet on Monday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced the dam would be opened for agriculture activities on Tuesday. The decision has brought a sigh of relief from the Cauvery delta farmers who are waiting to plant their samba crop. The reservoir is receiving an inflow of 2.4 lakh cusecs.
The southwest monsoon, which has remained intensive over the Cauvery catchment and basin, has resulted in the rapid rise in the storage level in Mettur dam, the Chief Minister said.
“The reservoir is filing up fast and rainfall triggered by southwest monsoon remains intensive. Anticipating the inflows from Karnataka reservoirs and the requests from farmers, I have ordered the release of water from Mettur for paddy cultivation in the Cauvery delta on August 13,” Mr palaniswami said.
He urged the farmers to ensure effective water management through all canals and check dams. The release of water from Mettur will help to fill up about 700 tanks and ponds in the delta, besides recharging the groundwater table.
The dam could not be opened on the customary date of June 12 because of poor storage. Last year, the dam was opened on July 19 to facilitate irrigation.
