Salem, Aug. 31:
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will open the Mettur Dam on Tuesday, September 1, releasing Cauvery water for irrigation in the delta region.
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to release water for 45 days, subject to the reservoir’s storage and inflow.
The Chief Minister is scheduled to travel from Chennai to Salem by a special flight in the morning and proceed by road to Mettur. The water-release ceremony is expected to be held at around 10 am.
The decision comes after a delay in the customary opening of the dam for delta irrigation. The usual date for opening the Mettur Dam is June 12, but inadequate storage in the reservoir and insufficient inflows into the Cauvery basin prevented the government from releasing water at that time. The delay has already affected kuruvai cultivation, with the area under the crop in the delta estimated to have declined by around 42,000 hectares.
The government has said the water will be released for 45 days, depending on the storage level and inflow into the Stanley Reservoir. The decision was taken considering the drinking-water requirements of Tamil Nadu and the irrigation needs of the Cauvery delta, besides repeated appeals from farmers.
Farmers in the delta are now preparing for the samba cultivation season, hoping that the release will provide an opportunity to recover at least part of the losses suffered after the delayed start to the agricultural season. Several farmers have already begun ploughing and preparing their fields in anticipation of the Cauvery water.
The opening comes amid concerns over water availability in the Cauvery basin. The government has said the reservoir level has been gradually improving and that expected inflows, along with the forthcoming northeast monsoon, were taken into account while deciding to release water.
When the decision was announced on August 26, the Mettur reservoir had a storage of about 51,526 million cubic feet, with the water level at 89.01 feet and an inflow of 8,827 cusecs. About 2,000 cusecs was being released into the river at the time.
The government has also urged farmers to undertake cultivation in a planned and economical manner, keeping the availability of water in mind.
The release also assumes significance against the backdrop of the continuing Cauvery water-sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Tamil Nadu has been pressing for its due share of Cauvery water and has taken up the issue before the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court recently directed Tamil Nadu to approach the CWMA regarding its grievance over the release of Karnataka’s share.
The government has maintained that efforts are being made to secure Tamil Nadu’s lawful share of Cauvery water. The availability of adequate inflows will be crucial to sustaining irrigation after the initial release period.
The Mettur release is particularly important for farmers in the Cauvery delta, where the samba crop is a major agricultural activity. With the kuruvai season already affected by the delayed release, farmers are looking to make the most of the remaining agricultural window.
Water Resources Department officials have also begun preparatory works in irrigation channels. In Tiruchy, for instance, authorities have taken up de-weeding of the Uyyakondan canal to facilitate the smooth flow of water ahead of the Mettur release.
The opening of the Mettur Dam therefore comes as a crucial relief measure for delta farmers, but the success of the irrigation season will depend on continued inflows into the reservoir, efficient water management and the availability of Cauvery water during the coming weeks.