Providing a big relief to farmers in Udumalpet and Madathukulam blocks, the Public Works Department has released water from Amaravathi Dam through eight channels on Friday.
The farmers in the said blocks have been looking for a good harvest in the current kharif season after suffering losses in 2012-13 fiscal due to severe drought.
Official sources told The Hindu that the water would be released at the rate of 300 cusecs for a total of 135 days in spells.
“The first spell of release will be for 21 days followed by a break of five days. Subsequently, water will be released in spells of 10 days with five days break in between,” a senior official of PWD (Water Resources Organisation) said.
The PWD officials had estimated release of 2,462.4 million cubic feet of water in the 135 days period.
The water level in the dam stood at 47.97 feet against the maximum of 90 feet at 4 p.m. on Friday.
The water was being released through the eight channels namely Kallapuram channel, Ramakulam channel, Kumaralingam channel, Sarkar Kannadipuram old channel, Solammadevi old channel, Kadathur old channel, Kaniyur channel and Karatholvu channel was expected to irrigate 7,520 acres (6,070 acres in Madathukulam block and 1,450 acres in Udumalpet block), sources said. “Mainly, the water can be used for raising paddy and also to wet the coconut already under cultivation,” Joint Director of Agriculture Mohammed Kalimullah Sherif said.
Minister for Forest M.S.M. Anandan, Collector G. Govindaraj and District Panchayat chairman M. Shanmugam, were present to supervise the release of water.
