In the wake of widespread rains and the huge inflow of water from Karnataka reservoirs, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswamy on Monday announced that the sluice gates of Mettur Dam will be opened on July 19 for irrigational purposes.
Water released from the dam will be used for irrigating the samba (rice) crop. The water will also fill 700 lakes and tanks in the Cauvery river basin.
On Monday, the storage level at the Stanley reservoir stood at 89.18 feet as against the total height of 120 feet and inflow was 99372 cusecs. The storage at present is 51.72 tmcft as against the storage capacity of 93.5 tmcft.
According to sources in the Public Works Department, this was the first time the inflow has crossed 40,000 cusecs in the last two seasons. During last year, the dam was opened for farm operations on October 2 after a delay of more than three and a half month from the customary date of June 12.
On Sunday, Salem and Dharmapuri district administration issued a flood alert to the people living along the banks of Cauvery river basin after water release from Karnataka reservoirs increased, raising the inflow at Hogennakal.
