Now Reading: TN CM Vijay to open Mettur dam gates on Aug 28
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TN CM Vijay to open Mettur dam gates on Aug 28
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is likely to oversee the opening of the sluices of the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur on August 28 for irrigation in the Cauvery Delta region,…
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is likely to oversee the opening of the sluices of the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur on August 28 for irrigation in the Cauvery Delta region, as the water level at the dam is set to reach 90 feet. This will be Vijay's first visit to Mettur after assuming office on May 10. The traditional release of water on June 12 for kuruvai cultivation was missed this year due to a below-average South-west Monsoon in catchment areas.
At 4 pm on Wednesday, the water level stood at 89.010 feet against the Full Reservoir Level of 120 feet, with storage at 51.526 tmcft. Inflow was 8,827 cusecs and outflow 2,000 cusecs. A source said water is generally released when the level is above 90 feet, and the CM is likely to travel to Mettur for the opening. Farmers' associations, however, said the water will be of little use for kuruvai crops that have already withered across thousands of acres, but will help plan samba crops.
Rains in catchment areas come as kuruvai cultivation this year has been restricted to about 2 lakh acres, down sharply from 6.33 lakh acres in 2025. The dam opening depends on steady inflow, with the North-east Monsoon expected by mid-October.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Mettur dam opening is a politically charged event in Tamil Nadu, with the state relying on releases from Karnataka's dams. The delay from the usual June 12 date has already hit kuruvai farmers hard. The Cauvery Water Management Authority, set up under the 2018 Supreme Court verdict, oversees inter-state water sharing. With storage at barely 43% of capacity, the late release may only salvage the samba season, which is more resilient to delayed water. The real indicator to watch is the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's 2007 final award, which mandates monthly releases based on catchment rainfall. The state government will now have to negotiate with Karnataka for continued flows through October.
The sharp drop in kuruvai acreage to 2 lakh acres from 6.33 lakh acres signals a potential loss of over Rs 1,000 crore in farm income for the delta districts.
Source: deccanherald.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
