SALEM: Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay opened the Mettur Dam for irrigation in the Cauvery delta districts on Tuesday, 81 days after the customary June 12 opening date, after the reservoir crossed the required storage level following months of inadequate inflow.
The water level crossed the 90-foot mark on August 29, after remaining below the threshold for nearly six and a half months, or 194 days.
As of Tuesday morning, the level stood at 91.56 feet, with storage at 54.452 TMC and inflow at 10,857 cusecs.
Water was initially released at 3,000 cusecs upon opening, with the discharge expected to increase later in the day. Officials have also said the water release will be based on the reservoir’s storage and inflow.
The government has decided to release water for 45 days, with the release to be regulated according to water availability.
The customary June 12 opening was missed this year as the dam storage was below desirable levels and had only 41.223 TMC of usable water at the beginning of the 2026-27 irrigation year.
With inadequate inflows from Karnataka reservoirs and the need to maintain a minimum storage of 10 TMC, irrigation release was delayed. The delay has affected Kuruvai cultivation in the delta districts, with the area under the crop estimated to have declined by around 42,000 hectares.
This is the 62nd year in which the customary opening schedule of the dam has been missed due to inadequate storage conditions.
After opening the dam, the Chief Minister viewed a photo exhibition set up on the premises and later inspected the dam’s powerhouse.
Water Resources Department Minister N. Anand and Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban were present during the opening.
The Agriculture, Water Resources, Revenue and Disaster Management departments, along with the district administration, will work in coordination to ensure that the released water reaches farmers through the designated irrigation channels, officials said.
Officials also said action would be taken against those drawing water illegally using unauthorised electric motors along the course of the released water. A monitoring committee has been formed to oversee the release and ensure that the water reaches the intended areas, with round-the-clock monitoring planned.
Security arrangements were strengthened in and around the dam, with police personnel deployed at key locations. Around 3,000 police personnel were deployed for the Chief Minister’s visit, while security checks were carried out continuously along the route and around the dam premises.