Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced that the date of release of water for irrigation of the samba crop has been advanced by 10 days.
She also said she had ordered the release of more water from Mettur Dam starting Monday, keeping in mind drinking water needs and the upcoming Aadi Perukku festival.
Jayalalithaa said in a statement on Monday that heavy rains from the southwest monsoon in the catchment areas of the Cauvery River in Karnataka on July 27 and 28 had led to the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini dams reaching their full capacities. She noted that the Karnataka government had been releasing water from them, and this meant inflows into the Mettur reservoir had risen to 90,000 cusec. “If the water inflow continues to rise, it is predicted that the Mettur Dam will reach its full reservoir capacity of 120 ft or 93.47 tmcft,” said Jayalalithaa.
“Taking present circumstances into consideration, I am happy to announce that I have ordered that the release of water for irrigation of the samba crop be advanced by 10 days, to August 2, keeping in mind that farmers in the Cauvery Delta region have made early preparations. I have also ordered that the water release be increased from 6,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs for the Aadi Perukku festival and to meet drinking water needs,” Jayalalithaa added.
The move would help ensure that water does not go to waste, as it could be distributed through various canals and smaller rivers in the areas served by the Cauvery, Vennaru and other canals from the Grand Anicut, and also be stored for drinking water in ponds and lakes.