Chennai, Oct 15 (IANS) Water releases from Mettur dam for irrigation in the Cauvery delta are scheduled to stop on Thursday as the Tamil Nadu government’s 45-day supply period ends, with falling storage and weak inflows raising concerns among farmers who still need water for their crops.

Chief Minister Vijay opened the dam for delta irrigation on September 1 after uncertainty over whether supplies could be provided this year amid an inadequate monsoon. Water is normally released from Mettur on June 12 for agricultural operations across the delta. The delayed opening was accompanied by an announcement that irrigation supplies would continue for 45 days.

With that period ending on Thursday, releases are expected to be suspended unless the government decides to extend them.

The dam’s water level has fallen by nearly 32 feet during the supply period. From 91 feet on September 1, it dropped to 59.13 feet by Wednesday evening, reflecting the strain caused by sustained irrigation releases without sufficient replenishment.

Inflows stood at just 696 cubic feet per second, substantially below the volume being discharged downstream. Releases, which had reached a maximum of 15,000 cusecs during the irrigation period, were reduced from 12,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs on Wednesday evening as storage continued to decline.

The imbalance between inflows and outflows has led to a steady depletion of the reservoir, limiting the scope for maintaining supplies at existing levels.

The falling water level has also heightened uncertainty over the availability of irrigation water in the coming days.

Farmers in the Cauvery delta have appealed to the state government to continue releases, saying their fields still require water. Their request places the government in the position of weighing immediate agricultural requirements against the reservoir’s dwindling reserves.

Attention is now turning to the northeast monsoon, which the Meteorological Department has said is expected to begin on Thursday.

A strengthening monsoon and a substantial improvement in inflows would be necessary to support continued releases from the dam.

For farmers awaiting a decision, the immediate concern is whether supplies will be extended beyond the announced deadline. Until rainfall improves and the reservoir receives adequate inflows, the prospect of sustained irrigation releases remains uncertain, leaving delta cultivators dependent on both the government’s decision and the progress of the monsoon over the next few days.

–IANS

aal/dpb