Water released in the Cauvery from the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur reached the Upper Anicut (Mukkombu) on the outskirts of Tiruchi on Tuesday.
As the water flowed past the Mukkombu regulator, farmers and the public showered flower petals and paddy seeds on the river in a gesture of welcome.
Tiruchi District Collector M. Pradeep Kumar has urged people living along the banks of the Cauvery and the Kollidam to move to safe places as about 75,000 to 1.25 lakh cusecs of surplus water could be discharged from the Mettur dam anytime. Washermen and others living along the rivers should move to safe places, Mr. Kumar said in a statement.
Bathing and fishing in the river and other leisure activities along the river banks would not be permitted when the flow was heavy, he said and urged people to desist from taking selfies on the river banks and at the dangerous spots.
Release in canals
The State government has ordered the release of water for irrigation in the Pullampadi and New Kattalai High Level (NKHLC) canals from Wednesday, K. Manivasan, Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, said in a statement. The Pullampadi canal irrigates 22,114 acres in Tiruchi and Ariyalur districts and the NKHLC 20,622 acres in Tiruchi and Thanjavur districts.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had ordered the opening of the reservoir on July 28, following heavy inflows. The Mettur dam could not be opened on the usual date of June 12 this year owing to poor storage. However, the situation had changed in the past couple of weeks, thanks to heavy and widespread rains in Karnataka and Kerala.
Over the past couple of days, about 20,000 cusecs of water was released from the dam and the water flowed past the Upper Anicut on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday evening. The water is expected to reach Kallanai (Grand Anicut), from where it would be distributed for irrigation on Wednesday.
According to sources in the Water Resources Department, about 1,900 cusecs of water was realised at Mukkombu by 6 p.m. on Tuesday and the realisation is expected to increase gradually to 23,000 cusecs later tonight. The entire quantum will be released into the Cauvery as of now.
The realisation is expected to go up sharply over the next few days as the Mettur dam reached its full capacity of 120 feet on Tuesday evening and the entire surplus flow would have to be discharged into the Cauvery.
Although farmers dependent on the river in the delta could not raise the kuruvai crop, the water flow is expected to spur farmers to begin samba paddy cultivation in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, and Ariyalur districts, besides Karaikal in neighbouring Puducherry.
However, as it would take a couple of weeks for the samba cultivation to get under way in full swing in the delta, farmers associations have been urging the Water Resources Department to utilise the nature’s bounty to fill up irrigation tanks and recharge the groundwater.
Veteran farmers leader Mahadhanapuram V. Rajaram, president, Cauvery Irrigation Farmers Welfare Association, emphasised the need for Tamil Nadu to augment its water storage capacity substantially. A large number of lakes and ponds, which could have helped store a substantial quantum of water, have fallen prey to encroachers and given way for rapid urbanisation, he regretted.
“It is already the eleventh hour. We need to find ways to store and utilise the water that we get in 30 days over 365 days,” he said.
Published - July 30, 2024 07:02 pm IST
