Restriction on sourcing water from Cauvery relaxed

Following increase in water level in Mettur Dam

The district authorities on Saturday relaxed the restriction laid on industrial houses in Mettur to source water from River Cauvery.

With the steady increase in inflow of water into Stanley Reservoir, the district authorities have relaxed the conditions laid for the industrial houses situated in the town to source water from River Cauvery at Mettur.

Mettur town and its surrounding areas accounted for chemical manufacturing units. These units have been getting adequate water supply throughout the year for the production activities.

Water shortage

With the water level in Mettur Dam going down alarmingly in the last few months due to refusal of Karnataka government to release water from Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs citing failure of monsoon, various parts of the district faced acute drinking water problem in the last few months. The water level in the dam touched a precarious 20 feet-mark in the recent past causing anxiety to the government machinery. The poor storage level affected the various comprehensive drinking water schemes to various districts with River Cauvery as source.

The district administration, to tide over the prevailing difficult situation in the drinking water front, directed the industrial units to reduce the consumption of water for the production purpose.

The industrial houses too accepted to reduce the quantum of water used for the production purpose. This affected the production activities, and also the drinking water schemes implemented by these industrial houses in the surrounding areas, leading to drinking water scarcity in the villages.

The increased realisation of water in River Cauvery at Mettur for the past few days, following widespread rainfall in the catchment areas of Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, raised the hopes of the official machinery as well as the Mettur industrial houses.

With the water level touching 52 feet mark in the dam on Saturday, the district authorities relaxed the restrictions on sourcing river water by the industrial units of Mettur, according to official sources.