NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday opened the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur, releasing Cauvery water for irrigation in the delta districts. This comes after the annual opening was delayed this year due to inadequate rainfall and low reservoir storage.Vijay opened the dam gates at 11.40am, allowing water to flow into the Cauvery Delta for agricultural use. The release is scheduled to continue for 45 days from September 1, subject to the reservoir’s storage levels and inflow conditions.The opening marks Vijay’s first visit to Mettur since he assumed office as Chief Minister on May 10. The release is expected to provide water for agricultural operations in the delta, where farmers depend heavily on the Cauvery for cultivation.The Mettur dam is traditionally opened on June 12 every year to facilitate the cultivation of kuruvai, a short-duration paddy crop, in the Cauvery Delta region. The opening was delayed this year as the Cauvery basin received inadequate rainfall and water levels in the reservoir remained low.The release also comes at a time when Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are locked in a continuing dispute over the sharing of Cauvery water.The Supreme Court on Monday deferred the Cauvery water dispute to September 15 after Tamil Nadu sought directions to Karnataka to clear the backlog in water releases. Karnataka, however, told the court that it was already releasing more than the stipulated quantity.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the parties to place subsequent developments on record and listed the matter for further hearing on September 15.Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu, alleged that Karnataka had failed to clear the accumulated shortfall despite the issue being recorded by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).Vaidyanathan said a substantial area of agricultural land in Tamil Nadu was dependent on Cauvery water and urged the apex court to direct the authorities to reconsider the State’s request for clearing the accumulated deficit.
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Representing Karnataka, senior advocate Shyam Divan said the State had released 9,888 cusecs on August 30 against the stipulated 9,000 cusecs and was releasing more than 11,000 cusecs on Monday.The bench noted that Karnataka had increased its release from 11,000 to 12,000 cusecs from August 12.Tamil Nadu had earlier approached the Supreme Court seeking enforcement of the CWMA’s directions on Cauvery water releases. The State has sought the release of its rightful share of Cauvery water amid concerns over the impact of inadequate water availability on agriculture.
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