Nearly 100 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of Cauvery water, which is more than what the massive Mettur dam in Salem district could hold, has drained into the sea in the last one month through the Lower Anicut in Cuddalore district. Mettur’s capacity is 93.47 TMC.
With the Coleroon river functioning as a flood carrier, the release of surplus water, which began on July 26, is continuing as on date, according to an official of the Water Resources Department. The release has stretched over 20 days so far, with a brief interruption in between. However, for the State, this is not a new phenomenon when the Cauvery is in spate. Only a few days ago, Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar recalled that in 2000, when the DMK was in power, 385 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water went waste; again in 2008, 114 TMC went untapped.
P.M. Natarajan. former Director-Centre for Climate Change, Periyar Maniammai University, Thanjavur, says that from 1991 to 2005, about 1,039 TMC of flood water was let into the sea from the Coleroon. In 2005 [when the AIADMK was in power], over 300 TMC was let into the sea due to the absence of storage structures in Cauvery delta. According to Dr. Natarajan, the amount of water that had gone waste between 1991 and 2005 could have produced paddy worth ₹51,950 crore. This is why water experts and farmers have been demanding the construction of barrages or check dams on the Coleroon between Upper Anicut, near Tiruchi, and the Lower Anicut.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has realised around 270 TMC of the Cauvery water since June 1. This is about 93 TMC more than what Karnataka is required to release in a full year (June-May).
