CM Vijay to release Mettur water for delta irrigation today
The Mettur dam, considered the lifeline of delta farmers, provides irrigation to nearly 16 lakh acres of agricultural land across 13 districts, including Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Perambalur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai.
Salem: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay will release water from the Mettur dam on Tuesday for irrigation in the Cauvery delta districts, after improved inflows pushed the reservoir’s water level beyond 90 feet.
The Mettur dam, considered the lifeline of delta farmers, provides irrigation to nearly 16 lakh acres of agricultural land across 13 districts, including Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Perambalur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai.
Water is normally released from the dam on June 12 every year to support cultivation in the delta region. However, inadequate rainfall in the Cauvery catchment areas prevented the authorities from opening the dam on the customary date this year.
The situation improved following heavy rainfall in Karnataka over the past two weeks. Inflows into the Kabini and Krishnaraja Sagar reservoirs increased substantially, prompting Karnataka authorities to discharge surplus water into the Cauvery. This led to a steady rise in the inflow into the Mettur reservoir and helped the storage level cross the 90-foot mark.
Responding to demands from farmers, the Tamil Nadu government announced that water would be released from September 1 for 45 days to facilitate irrigation in the delta districts.
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CM Vijay will arrive at the Omalur Kamalapuram airport in Salem by a private aircraft from Chennai. He will then travel by road to Mettur to formally open the dam’s sluice gates. Initially, 3,000 cubic feet per second of water will be released into the Cauvery.
The discharge will subsequently be increased in phases, depending on irrigation requirements and inflows into the reservoir.
Extensive arrangements have been made for the Chief Minister’s visit. Party flags have been erected along the route from the airport to Mettur, while iron barricades have been installed on both sides of the roads leading from Omalur to Mecheri and Mettur.
Police have strengthened security across Salem district, anticipating that large crowds may gather along the route to receive the Chief Minister. Additional personnel have been deployed at the airport, Mettur dam and other important locations, besides the roads through which his convoy will pass.
