Water released from Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai for irrigation

Water was released from Sathanur dam to irrigate around 50,000 acres of farmlands downstream, covering Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi and Villupuram districts, on Saturday.

Officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD), which maintains the facility, said water was being released into the river and distributed to the left and right bank canals from the pick-up dam for 100 days (up to May 11) for irrigation. The water will irrigate 45,000 acres of agricultural land in Tiruvannamalai district alone.

Minister for Highways E.V. Velu opened the sluice gates of the dam, located 8 km away from the reservoir downstream, in the presence of Tiruvannamalai Collector K. Tharpagaraj.

On an average, 550 cusecs of water will be released from the dam for farming every day. “Cultivators should utilise the water judiciously as it is required for drinking in the villages in the district,” Mr. Tharpagaraj said. At present, the dam has a storage of 7,186 mcft as against its capacity of 7,321 mcft.

As requested by farmers, water will be released in three phases before April 30, from Anaicut in Tirukoilur taluk of neighbouring Kallakurichi district, to irrigate around 5,000 acres of farmland.

WRD officials said that every year, 4 tmc is stored in the dam for irrigation. The dam also helps to store water in 88 tanks in these districts. While water from the dam’s Left Bank Canal feeds 30 tanks in Tiruvannamalai and 10 in Villupuram, the Right Bank Canal is connected to 48 tanks in Villupuram. The dam also provides at least 2 tmc for domestic consumption by residents in at least 150 villages and major towns such as Chengam and Tiruvannamalai, without reducing its deck storage level of 56 ft.