Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday opened the sluice gates of the Mettur dam around 1.30am. (TOI photos by AM Shudhagar) Stanley Reservoir METTUR: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday opened the sluice gates of the Mettur dam , and 2,000 cusecs of the Cauvery water started gushing out of the . "The water being released from the reservoir will be increased to 20,000 cusecs by Thursday evening," Palaniswami said. It would be further increased in the coming days based on the requirement in the delta regions, he added.The water being released from the reservoir is expected to save crops in 16.04 lakh acres of land in the delta districts Water level in the dam crossed 100 feet a couple of days ago, following heavy rain in Karnataka and Kerala.On Thursday morning, the water level stood at 109 feet against the dam’s full capacity of 120 feet. The storage was around 76.996 TMC at 9am.<doc-sep>EPS claims victory in Cauvery dispute, CM releases water from Mettur dam CM Edappadi Palaniswami also laid the foundation stone for a stupa to mark the ‘achievement’ of his government obtaining permanent solution to the Cauvery dispute through legal intervention. news Agriculture In a first for a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi Palaniswami opened the sluice gates of the Mettur dam to release water for agriculture in the delta districts. The symbolism behind the act was not missed by many, with CM projecting the Centre’s decision to set up the Cauvery Management Authority as the state government’s victory. With Karnataka receiving heavy rains recently, the water level at the reservoir stood at 109 ft on Wednesday. The last time the water levels at Mettur dam breached 100 feet was in 2014. “In the footsteps of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, our government has made sure that Karnataka gives us the legally mandated water from Cauvery,” the CM said after opening the sluice gates. 2000 cusecs of water are being released from Mettur dam for agriculture. This will be increased gradually on an hourly basis and might touch 20000 cusecs, as per reports. After opening the eight sluice gates of Mettur dam, the CM also laid the foundation stone for a stupa to mark the ‘achievement’ of his government obtaining permanent solution to the Cauvery dispute through legal intervention. Reports say that as per the irrigation calender maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), water is released for 230 days each year for paddy cultivation in the Cauvery delta districts spreading for about 15 lakh hectares. In the previous year, Mettur dam was opened in October for agriculture in delta districts. This was done after a three-and-a-half month delay in releasing water owing to poor rains. The Mettur dam is usually done in June. This year, despite a month’s delay in releasing water from Mettur, it is expected to help the farmers cultivate paddy. Background The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) was formed by the Central government on June 1 and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee was formed on June 23. These two bodies were formed as per the Supreme Court order on February 16 on the Cauvery dispute. The CWMA had ordered Karnataka to release 31.24 tmcft of water from Cauvery to Tamil Nadu in the first meeting of the Authority on July 2. Karnataka has been witnessing heavy rainfall from the southwest monsoon this year. Owing to the copious rainfall in the catchment areas, the dams across the Cauvery were filling fast. On Saturday, the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited issued a flood warning to the low-lying areas around the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam. The alert was issued as water level in KRS dam was expected to reach its full capacity and ahead of water being released on Sunday. An official from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre also told TNM that water will be released from KRS dam once it touches 124.8 ft, which is the Full Reservoir Level. Around 20000 cusecs of water was released on Saturday evening to Tamil Nadu since the inflow to KRS dam was high. On Monday, flood alerts were issued in Salem and Dharmapuri districts since the water discharged from Karnataka was expected to touch 90000 cusecs by the end of the day. The district collector of Salem had also said that once the water-level in Mettur dam reaches 90 ft, a report would be sent to the CM, who would then decide on releasing water from Mettur dam.<doc-sep>Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswami today opened the sluice gates of the Mettur dam in Salem, commencing agricultural operations in the delta districts. Officials said 2000 cusecs of cauvery water has been released from the dam and it will be increased gradually on an hourly basis and touch 20,000 cusecs by thursday evening. This is the first time a chief minister is opening the sluice gates of the 84 year-old dam. As per irrigation calendar, the release of water from the dam will be done for 230 days for raising paddy on 16 lakh acres in the cauvery basin. On Thursday morning the storage level at the Stanley reservoir was around 76.99 TMC, the water level stood at 109 feet against the dam's full capacity of 120 feet. Farmers in the delta districts are overjoyed as the Cauvery water is released for the first time after the formation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CMA). Chief Minister Palaniswami projected the setting up of the CMA as his government's victory and recalled the efforts of former chief minister Jayalalithaa on this issue. After opening the sluice gates of Mettur dam, the CM also laid the foundation stone for a stupa to mark the 'achievement' of AIADMK in finding a permanent solution to the Cauvery dispute through legal intervention. Also read: Stalin to meet TN Governor to demand action against Palaniswami over recent I-T raids<doc-sep>The water release would help to store water in 700 lakes and tanks, which would aid in irrigating the crop. Chennai: With the Mettur reservoir receiving copious inflows and the water level reaching the 90-feet mark on Monday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has ordered the release of water from the dam on July 19 to facilitate Samba cultivation. The dam has a full storage level (FSL) capacity of 120 feet. The water level continues to increase steadily as rains pound the catchment areas. Mr. Palaniswami, who reviewed the storage position in the reservoir along with Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, senior Ministers and officials, on Monday, informed that the decision to open the dam was taken based on the current storage level, reports from IMD that the southwest monsoon would intensify in the Cauvery catchment areas and in anticipation of water being released from dams in Karnataka in the coming months. As of today, the storage level stood at 89.18 ft with an inflow of 99,372 cusecs. “I have directed the officials to release water from Mettur dam for paddy cultivation from July 19,” Mr. Palaniswami said in a statement. The water release would help to store water in 700 lakes and tanks, which would aid in irrigating the crop. It would also augment the ground water resources and help in meeting the drinking water needs, he added. The CM assured that adequate supply of paddy seed varieties would be ensured for the benefit of the farmers. He also directed the authorities to ensure availability of adequate stock of DAP, urea, potash and other fertilisers at all primary cooperative societies to help farmers in the samba crop cultivation. He also urged the farmers to utilise the water released from Amaravathy dam for irrigation purposes. The announcement brings a major respite to farmers of the Cauvery Delta region in the State, who have been demanding that the Tamil Nadu government order the release of water from Mettur Dam. Recalling the long drawn legal battle waged by the state, the Supreme court verdict and the formation of the Cauvery Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, Mr. Palaniswami said since the Mettur dam could not be opened on the usual date of June 12 due to inadequate storage, the state government announced the Kuruvai crop cultivation package at a cost of `115.67 crore for the benefit of farmers in delta districts. Flood alert issued in Salem, Dharmapuri districts as Cauvery in spate: Meanwhile, flood alert has been issued in Salem and Dharmapuri districts as the Cauvery river is in spate due to the rain continuously pounding the catchment areas. The district administration in Salem and Dharmapuri issued the flood alert warning the people living in the low-lying areas along the banks of the river in the area to relocate to safer places following high inflows into the Cauvery at Biligundlu - the river's entry point into Tamil Nadu, Salem Collector Rohini Bhajibhakare urged people in low-lying areas in and around Mettur Dam to move to higher areas and make arrangements for taking their livestock along with them. People have also been advised not to enter the river either for bathing or for washing clothes. Dharmapuri Collector S. Malarvizhi also issued a flood warning to people living on the banks of the Cauvery on Sunday.<doc-sep>
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Monday stated that the sluice gates of the Mettur Dam in Salem district will be opened on July 19. Here are 5 things you should know about the decision: As per a report by Deccan Herald, the government has decided to open the sluice gates to facilitate short term paddy cultivation in the Cauvery delta region. CM Palaniswami has announced a package of Rs 115 crores to help farmers cultivate using available water resources. The inflow of water crossed 1.06 lakh cusecs on Monday evening. According to The Hindu, it was stated that the district administration in Salem has issued a flood warning to people residing in low-lying areas in the villages situated along the banks of the Cauvery river up to Mettur. Officials have directed the people and the fishermen of Adipalar, Settipatti, Pannavadi, Moolakkadu, Thinnapatti, Sinnamedu and other places situated near Mettur to move to higher grounds, the report added. Inland fishermen have been warned against venturing into the sea. If the water level crosses the 100 ft mark, it will be the first time in 4 years that the damâ€™s storage level has crossed that mark, a report in The Hindu states. The last time the dam reached its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) was on August 5, 2013, when the inflow was as high as 1.78 lakh cusecs. The water level at Mettur dam is inching closer to the 100 feet mark against its full reservoir level of 120 ft. According to a report by the Times of India, a PWD officer said that the level of in the reservoir was 83.2 ft on Sunday morning and that on Monday morning, it rose to 87.92ft, faster than they expected. The water level in Mettur dam is rising after water was released from Karnataka reservoirs, which too have filled up due to heavy rains.