Tamil Nadu CM Vijay opens Mettur Dam releasing Cauvery water for irrigation in State

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay opened the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur for delta irrigation, on Tuesday (September 1, 2026).

Around 10.15 a.m. on Tuesday, the Chief Minister reached Salem Airport at Kamalapuram. Then, he reached Mettur on road via Thoppur, Mecheri, and Kunjandiyur and released Cauvery water from the dam at 11.30 a.m. and threw flowers on the water that gushed out.

Mr. Vijay also interacted with farmers and received petitions from them. The farmers urged him to open water from the dam for more days instead of the announced 45 days and also sought steps from the government to divert Mettur’s surplus water to water bodies in Thalaivasal.

Mettur Dam: the water source for Tamil Nadu’s rice belt

With Tamil Nadu CM Vijay opening the Mettur dam, focus turns to longevity of water release

Later, he inspected the photo exhibition organised by the Water Resources Department (WRD) and officials explained the ongoing works in the delta region. He also inspected the dam powerhouse. Then, Mr. Vijay left for Salem airport from the inspection bungalow at Mettur around 2 p.m.

Traditionally, water is released from the Mettur dam on June 12 every year and the dam is closed on January 28 after 230 days of discharge of water for irrigation. While a total of 330 TMC is required for irrigation, the date of opening the dam’s sluices changes depending on the availability of water in the dam.

This year, owing to inadequate water in the Stanley Reservoir, the reservoir was not opened on the customary date of June 12. After a 80-day delay, water has been discharged from the Mettur dam on September 1 for samba cultivation in the delta region.

Officials attached to the Water Resources Department (WRD) said that for the next 45 days, until October 15, water would be discharged from the dam based on its availability. Initially, the Chief Minister opened 3,000 cusecs of water from the dam and it will be increased to 7,000 cusecs by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, officials added.

Cauvery water received by T.N. in July hits 50-year low

It is notable that in the 93-year history of the Mettur Dam, water has been discharged for delta irrigation 20 times on its scheduled date, June 12. For 11 times, water was released from the dam before the customary date. This year, for the 62nd instance, water has been discharged after the customary date.

Likewise, this is the fourth time the water is being released for delta irrigation in the month of September. Earlier in 2002, 2012, and 2016, water was discharged from the Mettur dam for delta irrigation in September.

On Tuesday at 8 a.m., water level at Mettur Dam stood at 91.56 feet against its full reservoir level of 120 feet. The storage level stood at 54.45 tmcft compared to its full capacity of 93.47 tmcft. Inflow into the dam reduced to 10,857 cusecs from 11,501 cusecs.

In a press release, the Tamil Nadu government said it would take all steps to get the water share for Tamil Nadu from Karnataka. To ensure the rights of Delta farmers, the government is taking all legal and administrative steps, it added.

From 8 a.m., TVK cadre and the public gathered on the stretch of road from Kamalapuram to Mettur to see and greet Chief Minister Mr. Vijay. The police installed barricades on both sides of the roads stretching up to 40 km to prevent the public from entering into the roads.

Over 3,800 police personnel led by ADGP Anbu were deployed in protection duty from Salem Airport to Mettur Dam. Following the chief minister's visit, vehicles headed to Salem from Mettur diverted via M. Kalipatti, vice versa.

At the airport, Water Resources Minister N. Anand, Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, MLAs Palanivel, Lakshmanan, and Sivakumar, District Collector K. Elambahavath, and Deputy Mayor Saradha Devi welcomed the Chief Minister.

After Chief Minister Mr. #Vijay opened the sluice gates of #MetturDam in #Salem district for irrigation in #TamilNadu, #Cauvery water gushes out of the Stanley Reservoir on Tuesday. 📹: E. Lakshmi Narayanan (@Lakshmi76418627) / The Hindu pic.twitter.com/eUShHLWWBw