Water from Sathanur Dam was on Sunday released to feed 88 tanks connected to its canals to help farmers in Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts.
Collector Prashant M. Wadnere lifted a sluice gate of the dam to start the release of water. Of the storage capacity of 7,321 mcft of water, the dam had storage of 2,577 mcft (water up to 91.10 feet as against the maximum level of 119 feet).
Water released from the dam is used both for drinking purpose and irrigation. Water from the dam primarily feeds tanks connected to the left and right bank canals. The left bank canal feeds 40 tanks in Tiruvannamalai district while the right bank canal feeds 48 tanks in Villupuram district, according to officials.
The dam has three sluice gates. “There will be continuous flow of water for 30 days,” R. Govindarajan, executive engineer, Water Resources Organisation of Public Works Department, said.
He said about 7,500 acres of ayacut would be covered in the two districts. While the 40 tanks in Tiruvannamalai district would directly irrigate 2,899 acres, 4,644 acres of land would benefit by water from 48 tanks in Villupuram district. These tanks had no water till now.
Last year, Sathanur Dam had received water to its full capacity. Water was released in three instalments for 90 days from February 12 to May 22 last year.
This year, the left bank canal will supply 126 cusecs of water while the right bank canal will supply 215 cusecs of water for 30 days.
