Following the release of water from the Mettur dam in Salem district, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has ordered water from Periyar and Vaigai dams to be released from Thursday.

The Chief Minister made the announcement on Tuesday, and added that farmers in Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts have been requesting the government to help them cultivate crops by releasing water from Periyar and Vaigai dams. A press release from the state government said that accepting their request, the Chief Minister has order the opening of sluice gates of the two dams.

Periyar dam, constructed across river Periyar is located in Theni district in Tamil Nadu and provides water for agriculture and drinking water purposes in Theni district. The announcement from the Chief Minister says that 300 cusecs of water will be released from Periyar dam for 120 days from Thursday. “This will benefit around 14,707 acres of farmlands in Theni, Uththamapalayam and Bodinayakkanur areas in Theni district,” read the press release.

Similarly, the Vaigai dam, located in Theni district is a major source of water for farmers in Madurai and Dindigul districts. Water will be released from the dam at the rate of 900 cusecs for 120 days, benefiting around 45,041 acres of farmlands in these two districts. Edappadi K Palaniswami also urged the farmers to use the water from these dams economically and undertake water management measures in their fields.

On August 13, water was released from the Stanley reservoir in Mettur at the rate of 10,000 cusecs per day. This water will benefit around 12 lakh acres of agricultural lands in the Cauvery delta districts namely Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Trichy, Ariyalur, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore. The water level in Mettur dam on Tuesday stands at 117.22 feet against the Full Reservoir level of 120 feet. While the inflow is at 10,000 cusecs, the outflow is at 10,600 cusecs as at 4pm on Tuesday.