Tamil Nadu To Release Mettur Water From September 1 For Delta Irrigation

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay will release water from the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur on September 1 for delta irrigation, with the release planned for 45 days, subject to the reservoir's storage and inflows.The state government said the decision was taken considering Tamil Nadu's drinking water requirements and the irrigation needs of the Cauvery delta, amid inadequate rainfall during the Southwest Monsoon. The move also follows the government's efforts to secure Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water from Karnataka through the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Supreme Court.The government said water available for use at the beginning of the 2026-27 irrigation year was only 41.223 TMC, while inflows from Karnataka's reservoirs were inadequate. It also had to maintain a minimum storage of 10 TMC in Mettur, making continuous irrigation releases difficult.