Discharge from Mettur Dam increases to 12,000 cusecs for Cauvery delta irrigation

Mettur Dam’s water discharge was increased to 12,000 cusecs to meet rising irrigation demand across Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta. The higher release is expected to support farmers preparing for samba paddy cultivation, while authorities monitor reservoir storage, inflows and requirements

Salem: The discharge of water from the Mettur Dam was increased to 12,000 cubic feet per second on Monday morning as irrigation demand rose across the Cauvery delta region. Officials stepped up the release from 6 a.m., marking the latest in a series of increases since water was opened from the reservoir on September 1 for samba cultivation.

The decision is expected to improve supplies to agricultural areas where farmers are preparing fields and carrying out early-stage cultivation operations. When the dam was opened at the beginning of the month, water was initially released at the rate of 3,000 cusecs.

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The discharge was raised to 7,000 cusecs within a few hours and maintained at that level for six consecutive days. With irrigation requirements increasing in the Cauvery delta, authorities enhanced the outflow to 10,000 cusecs at 6 p.m. on Sunday. A further revision followed on Monday morning, taking the release to 12,000 cusecs.

According to figures recorded on Sunday evening, the water level in the Mettur reservoir stood at 92.39 feet. Inflow into the dam was measured at 9,709 cusecs, while the available storage was approximately 55.35 thousand million cubic feet (TMC). The increased discharge is intended to carry more water downstream to the delta districts, where dependable irrigation is crucial for the samba paddy season.

Farmers in the region are hopeful that the higher release will meet the immediate water requirement and enable cultivation to proceed without disruption. Mettur Dam is the principal regulating reservoir for irrigation supplies to the Cauvery delta. Changes in its discharge are closely monitored by farmers, particularly during the main paddy seasons, because the timing and volume of water determine the pace of agricultural activity across the command area.

The latest increase also comes as officials balance the demand of downstream farms with inflow and remaining storage in the reservoir. The outflow of 12,000 cusecs is currently higher than the reported inflow of 9,709 cusecs, making future inflows an important factor in decisions on continued releases.

Authorities are expected to keep watch on the reservoir level, inflow, storage and irrigation demand before making further adjustments. For now, the enhanced supply has brought relief to delta farmers who depend on Cauvery water for samba cultivation.