On Sunday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin convened a review meeting to address Cauvery water management issues and decided to open the Mettur Dam for Kuruvai crop irrigation.
Originally scheduled for early July, the release of water from the Mettur Dam was delayed due to Karnataka’s failure to release the recommended amount, citing insufficient rainfall. Tamil Nadu had objected, and discussions included the possibility of approaching the Supreme Court.
With recent heavy rains in the Cauvery catchment areas, the Mettur Dam’s water level rose to 109.20 feet, holding 77.30 TMC of water. The dam is now receiving 1.48 lakh cusecs of excess water from four Karnataka dams, with forecasts predicting continued rain for the next three days.
MK Stalin’s meeting led to the decision to open the dam by 3 pm on July 28, releasing an initial 12,000 cusecs of water. He also directed district collectors via video conference to manage the water release and support the ‘Aadi Perukku’ festival.
The released water will support Kuruvai paddy cultivation across 13 districts.
