CM Vijay to open Tamil Nadu's Mettur dam gates on Sept 1 amid Cauvery water row

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will officially open the sluice gates of the Mettur dam on September 1, with water set to be released for 45 days, the state government said on Wednesday.The Mettur dam, also known as the Stanley Reservoir and located in Salem, is considered the lifeline of the Cauvery delta districts. The government announced the release amid demands from opposition parties, including the DMK and AIADMK, after it could not release water on the customary date of June 12 because of low storage levels.Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources N Anand said the government decided to open the dam following requests from farmers and the public despite insufficient rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area during the southwest monsoon.

He added that water release would depend on the current storage levels and incoming inflows.At the beginning of the 2026-2027 irrigation year, the usable water storage in the Mettur dam stood at just 41.223 TMC, Anand said.He said inadequate water releases from Karnataka dams and the need to maintain a minimum dead storage of 10 TMC had made continuous irrigation supplies to the Delta region previously unfeasible, while essential drinking water supplies were consistently maintained.Anand said the state government actively pursued legal and administrative remedies before the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC), the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Supreme Court to secure Tamil Nadu's lawful share of water.Following these efforts, directions were issued ordering Karnataka to ensure specified water flows ranging from 3,500 cusecs to 12,000 cusecs at different intervals at Billigundulu, reinforcing Tamil Nadu's riparian rights, he said.Anand said the government continued to advocate for proportionate water distribution across all relevant forums.

With Mettur dam's storage gradually improving, and key inflows expected alongside the upcoming northeast monsoon, the government directed the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department to begin immediate field preparations in the Delta districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.The instructions include ensuring adequate stocks of high-quality seeds, fertilisers and essential farm inputs. The department will also advise farmers to adopt suitable short-duration and medium-duration paddy varieties and encourage them to use water judiciously and follow agricultural advisories.As of August 26, the water level in the Mettur dam stood at 88.84 ft, against its full depth of 120 ft.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Aug 27, 2026 10:24 IST