The Hindu : Cauvery water yet to reach Mettur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 18, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Cauvery water yet to reach Mettur

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM Jan. 17. Even though the Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, announced on January 13 that six tmcft of Cauvery water would be released (on a daily basis spread over the next two months), no water was realised in the Mettur reservoir till today.

According to one version, the recorded flow at Billigundlu today was about 1,700 cusecs, and in all likelihood it would reach the dam by Saturday evening. As 250 km has to be covered from Karnataka to Mettur, it would take about three days for the water to reach the dam.

If the quantum of release is more, velocity would be higher. To that extent the time taken for covering the distance would be less. But in all probability, the realisation would be in the range of 1,500 to 1,700 cusecs.

In the absence of information from Karnataka, PWD officials here are not certain when exactly the water would reach the dam. Experts opine that only when the release touches 9,000 to 10,000 cusecs, the requirement of delta farmers could be reasonably met.

If the quantum was in the order of 1,500-1,700 cusecs, water would hardly reach the tail-end area, as it would have to flow through 150 km.

The storage in the dam is hardly 7 tmcft, of which the silt would constitute approximately 3 tmcft.

The level in the dam today stood at 28.70 ft (maximum level 120 ft) and the capacity at 7.017 tmcft, while the inflow was at 451 cusecs.

'Spare at least 18 tmcft'

Our Tiruchi Staff Reporter reports:

The Cauvery Delta Farmers' Welfare Association has urged Karnataka to spare at least 18 tmcft water in the Cauvery to help three wettings to save the samba crop.

The secretary, S. Ranganathan, said here today that Karnataka's offer to release 1,200 cusecs daily was `not only inhuman but insulting' to the delta farmers. Compared to the daily requirement of around one tmcft to irrigate paddy on about 10 lakh acres, Karnataka's offer was minuscule. Water would not even reach the Upper Anicut, leave alone the vast delta, Mr. Ranganathan told The Hindu.

Paddy crop on a vast majority of the delta area required at least three more wettings, which meant a requirement of around 18 tmcft.

A single wetting of samba crop in the delta needed about six tmcft. Farmers would be benefited only if that quantum was released in three spells.

Meanwhile, the Congress MLA from Karur and president of the Podhu Vivasayigal Sangam, T.N. Sivasubramanian, after meeting Mr. Krishna earlier today in Bangalore said the latter agreed to release as much water as possible for Tamil Nadu ryots, taking into consideration the drinking water and irrigation needs of Karnataka.

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