Farmers seek release of water from Mettur dam

Trichy: Farmers in the Cauvery delta region have sought reopening of the Mettur dam and resume release of water for irrigation. The dam was shut on Jan 28 following which district administrations have also urged the water resources department (WRD) to heed the farmers' requests.The Mettur dam sluices, opened as usual on June 12, 2025, were closed as per the scheduled date. However, thousands of farmers sought more water as they needed another four to six weeks to harvest their samba or thaladi paddy crops. The Mettur dam currently holds 55.4 tmcft of water against its full capacity of 93.4 tmcft. The inflow to the dam stands at 48 cusecs, while the outflow is 1,553 cusecs.Kuruvai farmers harvested their crop in Sept and Oct 2025. However, heavy rains disrupted cultivation of thaladi crops and many farmers started sowing around Dec while some farmers who lost their crops in the rain began anew. V Ramasamy, a 61-year-old farmer from Mohanur in Nagapattinam district, cultivated ADT-45 paddy (115-120 days duration) on 50 acres only 50 days ago. The crops are still in the vegetative phase, and need roughly two more months to mature. "I and some other farmers nearby depend solely on the Cauvery water for irrigation since groundwater here is saline. We require water for at least six more weeks to carry our crops through to harvest," said Ramasamy.Based on recommendations from the agriculture and farmers' welfare department, collectors in the delta districts have written to the WRD seeking continued release of Cauvery water. WRD officials told TOI that some water must remain in the Mettur dam to meet drinking needs during the summer months. An official highlighted the roughly 1,500 cusecs still flowing out, stressing that the dam is not entirely closed. "This release follows requests from district administrations and is available for irrigation."Farmers, however, expressed frustration that the current volume is inadequate and fails to reach tail-end areas. "We require 7,000 to 10,000 cusecs of outflow from the Mettur dam for at least two to three weeks," said P R Pandiyan, general secretary of Thamizhaga Kaviri Vivasayigal Sangam. At present, the Cauvery river carries 702 cusecs of water, the Vennar river 52 cusecs, and the Grand Anicut canal 610 cusecs. Around five lakh hectares of samba and thaladi crops were sown in the delta this season. Of these, 95% in Nagapattinam, 90% in Tiruvarur, 85% in Mayiladuthurai, 75% in Thanjavur, 70% in Trichy, and 40% in Cuddalore districts are yet to be harvested.