Farmers in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu Urge Increased Water Release from Mettur Dam
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Chennai, Jan 2 (NationPress) Samba paddy growers in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, recognized as the state’s rice bowl, are requesting an increased water release from the Mettur Dam that attained its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet on Wednesday.
A senior representative from the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (TNWRD) mentioned that the farmers' requests are currently being evaluated, and a resolution regarding the water release will be announced shortly.
It is noteworthy that water from the Cauvery was initially released for the ongoing irrigation season on July 28 to support farming activities in the Cauvery delta districts. The dam reached its FRL on July 30, 2024, just before the water release for samba paddy cultivation.
Due to heavy rains during the northeast monsoon, the water demand in the delta regions considerably decreased, resulting in a conservation of inflow to the Mettur Dam, which has once again elevated the reservoir level to 120 feet.
On Wednesday morning, the dam’s water level was maintained at FRL, with an inflow of 1,791 cusecs and an outflow of 669 cusecs.
The water currently released for the delta is at 500 cusecs, with only 100 cusecs each being discharged into the Cauvery, Vennaru, and GA Canal rivers from Kallanai.
Farmer Krishnagopalan from Thanjavur district stressed the urgency, stating, “Samba paddy is in the flowering stage. Thus, 10,000 cusecs of water must be released immediately from the Mettur Dam for at least ten days.”
He urged for the release of Cauvery water into all rivers traversing through the Thanjavur region.
Significant rainfall since the start of the northeast monsoon on October 1 has led Tamil Nadu’s reservoirs to approach full capacity.
The water storage levels across the state’s reservoirs are now only 12 percent shy of their total capacity of 224.297 thousand million cubic feet (TMC).
The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department reported that 12 reservoirs — three in the Coimbatore region, seven in the Madurai region, and two in the Chennai region — have reached full capacity during the monsoon.
Furthermore, storage in 18 reservoirs has surpassed 90 percent of their total capacity, while 23 reservoirs maintain water levels between 70 percent and 80 percent. For example, the Sathanur Reservoir presently stands at 117 feet, just below its FRL of 119 feet.
