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).
Round 10.15 a.m. on Tuesday, the Chief Minister reached Salem Airport at Kamalapuram. Then, he reached Mettur on highway through Thoppur, Mecheri, and Kunjandiyur and launched Cauvery water from the dam at 11.30 a.m. and threw flowers on the water that gushed out.
Mr. Vijay additionally interacted with farmers and acquired petitions from them. The farmers urged him to open water from the dam for extra days as a substitute of the introduced 45 days and in addition sought steps from the federal government to divert Mettur’s surplus water to water our bodies in Thalaivasal.
Later, he inspected the photograph exhibition organised by the Water Sources Division (WRD) and officers defined the continued works within the delta area. He additionally inspected the dam powerhouse. Then, Mr. Vijay left for Salem airport from the inspection bungalow at Mettur round 2 p.m.
Dam opened after 80-day delay
Historically, water is launched from the Mettur dam on June 12 yearly and the dam is closed on January 28 after 230 days of discharge of water for irrigation. Whereas a complete of 330 TMC is required for irrigation, the date of opening the dam’s sluices adjustments relying on the provision of water within the dam.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay prays on the time of opening the Stanley Reservoir to launch Cauvery water for delta irrigation, in Mettur on September 1, 2026
| Photograph Credit score:
E. Lakshmi Narayanan
This yr, owing to insufficient water within 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 within the delta area.
Officers hooked up to the Water Sources Division (WRD) stated that for the subsequent 45 days, till October 15, water could be discharged from the dam based mostly on its availability. Initially, the Chief Minister opened 3,000 cusecs of water from the dam and will probably be elevated to 7,000 cusecs by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, officers added.
62nd occasion of late launch
It’s notable that within the 93-year historical past of the Mettur Dam, water has been discharged for delta irrigation 20 instances on its scheduled date, June 12. For 11 instances, water was launched from the dam earlier than the customary date. This yr, for the 62nd occasion, water has been discharged after the customary date.
Likewise, that is the fourth time the water is being launched for delta irrigation within the month of September. Earlier in 2002, 2012, and 2016, water was discharged from the Mettur dam for delta irrigation in September.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay throws grains into Cauvery river water after the opening of Stanley Reservoir in Mettur, Salem district on September 1, 2026
| Photograph Credit score:
E. Lakshmi Narayanan
Water stage
On Tuesday at 8 a.m., water stage at Mettur Dam stood at 91.56 ft in opposition to its full reservoir stage of 120 ft. The storage stage stood at 54.45 tmcft in comparison with its full capability of 93.47 tmcft. Influx into the dam lowered to 10,857 cusecs from 11,501 cusecs.
In a press launch, the Tamil Nadu authorities stated it will take all steps to get the water share for Tamil Nadu from Karnataka. To make sure the rights of Delta farmers, the federal government is taking all authorized and administrative steps, it added.
Folks throng to see CM
From 8 a.m., TVK cadre and the general public gathered on the stretch of highway from Kamalapuram to Mettur to see and greet Chief Minister Mr. Vijay. The police put in barricades on either side of the roads stretching as much as 40 km to stop the general public from coming into into the roads.
Folks await the arrival of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in Salem district on September 1, 2026
| Photograph Credit score:
E. Lakshmi Narayanan
Over 3,800 police personnel led by ADGP Anbu have been deployed in safety responsibility from Salem Airport to Mettur Dam. Following the chief minister’s go to, automobiles headed to Salem from Mettur diverted through M. Kalipatti, vice versa.
On the airport, Water Sources Minister N. Anand, Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, MLAs Palanivel, Lakshmanan, and Sivakumar, District Collector Ok. Elambahavath, and Deputy Mayor Saradha Devi welcomed the Chief Minister.
Printed – September 01, 2026 03:55 pm IST
