Water released from Mettur Dam for irrigating samba crop

Salem, Sep 20 (PTI) Tamil Nadu today opened the sluicegates of the Mettur Reservoir here to enable farmers take upcultivation of the samba paddy crop in the delta districts. In much relief to the farmers in this region, water wasreleased for irrigating about 12 lakh acres as the sluicegates were opened in the presence of senior AIADMK MinistersEdappadi K Palaniswamy and P Thangamani, among others. Palaniswamy told reporters that initially 2000 cusecswas being released and this would be gradually be increased to12,000 cusecs by the evening. Keeping with the usual practice, flowers were droppedinto the gushing waters. Water from the dam is generally released on June 12 butthis year it could not be done following low storage levelseven as the AIADMK government had approached the Supreme Courtseeking direction to Karnataka to release 50 tmcft to it. While the court had on September 5 ordered 15,000 cusecsdaily for ten days, it later modified its order, askingKarnataka to release 12,000 cusecs till today (September 20). Yesterday, the Cauvery Supervisory Committee in Delhi hadordered Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs water per day toTamil Nadu between September 21 and September 30. With Mettur Dam witnessing steady inflows followingKarnataka’s release of water from the Cauvery River, ChiefMinister Jayalalithaa had on September 16 ordered opening itssluice gates for irrigating samba crops in delta districts. She had then said the decision to release water was basedon factors like the dam touching 84.76 feet (capacity 120 ft)and likelihood of receiving more water from Karnatakareservoirs in view of the apex court order and an anticipatednormal north east monsoon. In August, Jayalalithaa had announced a Rs 64 crorespecial plan for farmers of delta districts to take up sambacultivation, and this included subsidy for various farmactivities such as procurement of quality seeds, mechanisedsowing and planting operations. PTI SA BNDV