Mettur Dam to Stay Closed for Delta Irrigation on June 12

Mettur Dam to Remain Closed for Delta Irrigation on June 12 Due to Low Water Levels

Mettur: The Stanley Reservoir at Mettur will not release water for delta irrigation on Friday, June 12, as scheduled, due to insufficient water levels. According to the annual schedule, the dam is typically opened on June 12 for irrigation purposes and remains operational until January 28.

Officials from the Water Resources Department confirmed on Thursday, June 11, that the water level in the dam was below 80 feet, and the catchment areas had not received significant rainfall. The government will reassess the situation and consider releasing water if heavy rainfall occurs in the coming days.

In its 93-year history, the Mettur Dam has adhered to the June 12 release date only 20 times. On 11 occasions, water was released prior to the scheduled date, while on 61 occasions, the release occurred after June 12. This year marks the 62nd instance where the scheduled release date has been missed.

As of Thursday, the dam's water level stood at 79.62 feet, significantly lower than its full capacity of 120 feet. The storage level was recorded at 41.57 TMC, compared to the reservoir's total capacity of 93.47 TMC. Inflow into the dam had decreased to 424 cusecs from 528 cusecs. Meanwhile, the discharge of 1,000 cusecs for drinking water purposes into the Cauvery River continues to be maintained.