Turn system to be adopted to release water from Grand Anicut for irrigation

The Water Resources Department will be releasing water for irrigation from Grand Anicut into the Cauvery and the Vennar on rotation basis from September 27.

According to the official release from the district administrations of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts, the Water Resources Department has decided to implement the turn system of water release into the Cauvery and the Vennar from 6 p.m. on September 27. The water would be released into the Vennar system for the first six days and into the Cauvery system the next six days.

The water release into the GA Canal would be regulated by ensuring the supply on a turn basis for irrigating the Upper and Lower ayacuts, the release added.

As on September 26, around 7,500 cusecs of water was let into the Cauvery from the Grand Anicut every day, around 3,800 cusecs in the Vennar and around 1,700 cusecs in the GA Canal where the full water carrying capacity of the Cauvery was 10,691 cusecs, Vennar 9,370 cusecs and the GA Canal 3,380 cusecs.

While urging the Thanjavur and Tiruvarur district farmers to utilise the available water prudently for irrigating their crops, the department said that in view of the storage at Mettur, it has been decided to draw either 15,000 cusecs or a less quantum of water for irrigation from September 27 evening from the Stanley Reservoir to ensure the availability of water for irrigation up to the tail end areas during the current cultivation season.

The release claimed that water for irrigation released from the Grand Anicut on July 31 into the Cauvery, the Vennar, and Grand Anicut Canal systems had reached the tail-end areas and farmers had commenced the preparatory work for samba cultivation.