Officials in no hurry to open Mettur dam

There is no huge inflow now, and Samba farmers will require water only by month-end

With the Mettur dam’s storage rising steadily, the talk of water release for irrigation has come to the fore. But the authorities would prefer to wait and watch before taking a decision.

On Monday morning, the storage was 49.28 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) against the capacity of 93.47 tmc ft. The water level stood at 87 feet against the full level of 120 feet. While the inflow was 38,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs), the discharge was 800 cusecs.

Though some parties and farmers’ associations have been urging the government for early water release, officials say the need for the immediate release does not exist, going by two factors. One, there is no huge inflow of the Cauvery water though the present rate can, at best, be around 50,000 cusecs. In the last 20 years, there were several occasions when the river carried over one lakh cusecs. Now, only 50 per cent of the dam is full.

Second, farmers going for the long-term Samba crop will require water for nursery only by the end of this month. Even if water is released now, it will not be of much use.

Besides, this may put the entire crop, the main source of livelihood for lakhs of farmers, at the risk of vagaries of monsoon, if the amount of water released from the Karnataka reservoirs dips, and the northeast monsoon plays truant, says a seasoned agriculturist.

However, the officials do not rule out a relook at the situation if water release from the Karnataka dams exceeds one lakh cusecs on a sustained basis.

According to official data, the short-term Kuruvai crop has been raised on two lakh acres in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts. This has become possible because of the government’s package and 12-hour three-phase supply to farmers, the officials explain.

Water realisation

As on date, the cumulative realisation of the Cauvery water, as recorded at Billigundlu, was 50.35 tmc ft, virtually wiping out the shortfall in receipt by Tamil Nadu. In June and July, the figures were 6.01 tmc ft and 34.46 tmc ft, against 10 tmc ft and 34 tmc ft prescribed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its final order. This month, 9.88 tmc ft has been realised so far, the officials say. The State’s share for August is 50 tmc ft.