In a relief to farmers of the Cauvery Delta region, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Thursday, said water from the Mettur dam would be released from August 15.
In a statement made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, due to heavy rains in the Cauvery catchment areas in Karnataka and Kerala, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the water level in the dam reached 93.24 feet on Wednesday evening.
This was against water level of 44,40 feet on June 12, the usual date on which Mettur is opened conventionally.
The release of water for irrigation would help farmers go ahead with the Samba crop, she said.
