With the storage level continuing to remain poor and no remarkable increase expected in the inflow in the coming days, release of water from the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur for farm activities in the delta districts on the customary date of June 12, is unlikely.
“As of now there is only a remote chance of water being released from the Mettur Dam for the Cauvey basin on June 12, unless the reservoir receives copious inflow during the next fortnight,” Public Works Department sources told The Hindu .
For the last six years, the opening of the dam’s sluices were delayed beyond the customary date. While the water was released from the dam in the month of August for three years (2013, 2014 and 2015), it was released in September twice (2012 and 2016). Last year, water was released on October 2, after a delay of more than three-and-a-half months.
In 2011, the water from the dam was released in advance on June 6, six days before the customary date due to comfortable storage level.
As per the annual irrigation calendar of the PWD, water is usually released for farm activities in the delta region from June 12 – January 28.
The level in the dam stood at 34.28 ft on Sunday against its full level of 120 ft. The storage level stood at 9.335 tmc against the dam’s full capacity of 93.47 tmc. The inflow into the dam was 3,290 cusecs and the discharge for drinking water needs of delta districts was 500 cusecs.
The water level stood at about 20 ft (four tmc) during the same period last year.
PWD sources said that owing to poor rainfall in the catchment areas in Karnataka, the realisation of water in River Cauvery at Mettur was meagre ever since the sluices were closed abruptly in January for farm activities. On many days, the inflow was below the three figure mark.
The sources said that technically, the dam can be opened for prolonged supply only when the level is at least 79 ft and the storage is 40 tmc. The dam is also dependent on the combined storage position in Karnataka reservoirs.
The Meteorological Department is expecting the southwest monsoon to set in next month. Even if it sets in the first week of June, it will take time for water to reach Mettur.
PWD sources said that farmers of Cauvery basin will be in need of about 330 tmc of water for raising Kuruvai, Samba, Thaladi in about 16 lakh acres of land.
As per the final order of the River Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Tamil Nadu should get 192 tmc of water during every farm season. However, the Supreme Court in its final order, reduced Tamil Nadu’s allocation to 177 tmc. But the State got only 112 tmc last season.
So far the dam missed the customary date of release 58 times since it was constructed 85 years ago.
Only on 16 occasions, water was released on the scheduled date. At least on 10 occasions, water was released in advance, the sources said.
