Mettur dam level drops to 80.52 ft as samba paddy planting hangs in balance
Synopsis
Mettur dam's water level is falling fast — outflow is more than eight times the inflow — yet thousands of Cauvery delta farmers still have no water in their canals nearly four weeks after the dam's already-delayed opening. With the samba season window shrinking by the day, the question is whether enough water can travel the length of the canal network before it is too late to plant.
Key Takeaways
Mettur dam level fell to 80.52 feet on 27 September 2026 , with storage at 42.47 TMC .
Outflow for irrigation stood at 12,400 cusecs — more than eight times the inflow of 1,488 cusecs .
The dam was opened on 1 September 2026 , nearly three months after the customary 12 June date.
Releases from the Grand Anicut into delta canal systems began on 6 September , yet tail-end farmers report water has not yet reached their fields.
Farmers face a stark choice: transplant without assured water and risk losing seedlings, or wait and compress the samba season timetable further.
The water level at Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu fell to 80.52 feet on Sunday, 27 September 2026, as irrigation releases continued to vastly outpace inflow, deepening anxiety among Cauvery delta farmers still waiting for adequate water to reach their fields before sowing samba paddy.
Key Developments at the Dam
At 8 am on Sunday, inflow into the reservoir had declined to 1,488 cusecs (cubic feet per second), down from 1,636 cusecs the previous reading. Meanwhile, outflow for delta irrigation stood at 12,400 cusecs — more than eight times the volume of water entering the dam. As a result, the reservoir level slipped from 81.16 feet to 80.52 feet, with total storage at 42.47 thousand-million cubic feet (TMC).
Why Farmers Are Still Waiting
Despite ongoing releases from the dam, farmers report that water has yet to arrive in several canals and tail-end areas in sufficient quantities. Newly transplanted paddy requires a dependable, uninterrupted supply of water during its early stages; without that assurance, farmers remain reluctant to begin samba cultivation. Those who transplant without a steady flow risk losing seedlings entirely if canals run dry.
Notably, Mettur dam was opened for delta irrigation on 1 September 2026 — nearly three months later than the customary 12 June opening date — because the reservoir had not accumulated sufficient water earlier in the season. Releases from the Grand Anicut into the Cauvery, Vennar, Grand Anicut Canal, and Kollidam systems followed on 6 September.
The Tightening Window for Samba Season
The delayed opening has already compressed the timeline available to farmers for land preparation, nursery raising, and paddy transplantation. Nearly four weeks after the Mettur opening, farmers in parts of the delta have reported that water has still not reached their fields. Those who wait longer face a progressively tighter schedule for completing the samba season on time. This is a recurring pressure point for the delta: the gap between inflow and outflow signals that the reservoir is being drawn down to sustain current irrigation levels, leaving little buffer if inflows weaken further.
What Delta Farmers Are Watching
With inflow declining further on Sunday, growers across the affected delta districts are monitoring both the dam level and the movement of water through the canal network. For farmers at the tail end of the system, the immediate concern is whether water now being released will travel far enough, and fast enough, to support a viable samba crop this season.
Point of View
And the current eight-to-one outflow-to-inflow ratio is draining whatever buffer remained. What is missing from the official response is any frank accounting of whether the total seasonal water budget is sufficient to see the samba crop through — or whether farmers at the tail end of the canal network are being set up for a second consecutive shortfall. The Grand Anicut release dates look orderly on paper; the lived reality for tail-end farmers is anything but.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current water level at Mettur dam?
As of 27 September 2026, the water level at Mettur dam stood at 80.52 feet, down from 81.16 feet the previous day, with storage recorded at 42.47 TMC. Outflow for delta irrigation is running at 12,400 cusecs against an inflow of just 1,488 cusecs.
Why was Mettur dam opened late this year?
Mettur dam was opened for delta irrigation on 1 September 2026, instead of the customary 12 June date, because the reservoir had not accumulated sufficient water earlier in the season. The delay has shortened the window available for samba paddy cultivation.
Why are Cauvery delta farmers still waiting for water?
Even though releases from Mettur began on 1 September and from the Grand Anicut on 6 September, many farmers — particularly in tail-end areas of the canal network — report that water has not reached their fields nearly four weeks later. The sheer length of the canal system and the time it takes water to travel means distant farmers are the last to receive any flow.
What happens if farmers delay samba paddy planting further?
Every additional day of waiting tightens the samba season timetable, potentially pushing the harvest into a period when weather conditions are less favourable. Farmers who plant without a guaranteed water supply, however, risk losing newly transplanted seedlings if canals run dry during the critical early growth phase.
What is samba paddy and why does it need assured water?
Samba paddy is a long-duration rice variety cultivated in the Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu, typically sown between September and November and harvested in January or February. It is a water-intensive crop, and newly transplanted seedlings are especially vulnerable to any interruption in canal supply during the early weeks of growth.
