Mettur water released

By Our Special Correspondent

METTUR, JUNE 12. On the order of the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, water was released from the Mettur reservoir for the Cauvery delta irrigation, as scheduled, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Unlike earlier occasions marked by fanfare, the function was a low-key affair with no Minister taking part.

The Salem Collector, Mr. N. Dhananjayan, was conspicuous by his absence. Even the top PWD officials kept a low profile. The actual water release was `inaugurated by the department staff in the presence of Mr. N. Subramanian, PWD executive engineer, Mettur.

Mr. Subramanian told presspersons that there was sufficient water in the dam, as the Chief Minister said. The Government would make efforts to ensure no water shortage for the season.

Asked about the storage level, he said it was quite comfortable. The Meteorological Department having predicted normal southwest monsoon, the inflow would go up soon. (Though the monsoon is said to have already set in, a dry spell continues).

Before discharge, the water level stood at 98.05 feet (as against the full level of 120 ft.), and the storage level at 62.37 tmcft (as against 94 tmcft). While the inflow was a meagre 648 cusecs, the discharge was maintained at 5,000 cusecs and would be gradually stepped up to 10,000 cusecs.

Later, depending upon the irrigation requirements, the discharge would be increased accordingly.

Normally, the water release would be sustained from June 12 to January 28. It is learnt that it would take about two-and-half days for the water to reach Grand Anaicut, from where it would be released for irrigation on a turn system.

Agri. Dept. hopeful

Our Chennai Special Correspondent reports:

With the timely release of Mettur dam water, the Agriculture Department is confident of bringing about 1.1 lakh hectares under paddy in the current kuruvai season in delta districts.

According to sources in the department, farmers in and around Mayiladuthurai have completed nursery planting with the help of filter point wells to cover about 25,000 hectares. On the other hand, farmers, who depend on river for irrigation, will start raising nurseries only from tomorrow. Nurseries will be raised on about 7,000 hectares to cover kuruvai on about 80.000 hectares.

Farmers in some areas are still undecided on going in for kuruvai crop. They are awaiting the onset of monsoon to take up the cultivation. They have an apprehension that the current storage position and inflow into the reservoir may not be sufficient for farming operations later.

Dams depleting

Our Mysore Staff Reporter Reports:

The delay in the onset of monsoon has depleted the levels in three major dams in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka.

The level in the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir was mere 72.64 ft as against the maximum capacity of 124.80 ft. Sources in the Irrigation Department here told The Hindu that the inflow was 3,501 cusecs and the outflow 610 cusecs.

However, the inflow was due to water released from the Hemavathi reservoir and not because of rainfall in the catchment area.

If the level in the KRS drops to about 68 ft, then it is reckoned to have reached a `dead storage level'.

The situation was no better in Kabini and Harangi reservoirs. In Kabini, the level was 2,265.94 ft, almost 20 feet below the maximum capacity of 2,284 ft.

The inflow was 5,297 cusecs and the outflow 700 cusecs. Similarly, the level in Harangi was 2,785.35 ft, as against the maximum level of 2,859 ft. While the inflow was a meagre 374 cusecs, the outflow during the day was 10 cusecs.

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