Water will be released from the Sathanur dam, maintained by the Water Resources Department, for irrigation in Tiruvannamalai till April 20 from Thursday.
Water will be released into the river and distributed to the left and right bank canals from the pick-up dam. Around 45,000 acres of farmland will get water. Every day, on an average, 530 cusecs of water would be released from the dam. Cultivators were advised to utilise the water judiciously. Of the total storage of 7,321 mcft, the level in the dam stood at 7,220 mcft on Wednesday.
As requested by farmers, water will be released in three phases before April 30 from the Anaicut in Tirukoilur taluk of the neighbouring Kallakurichi district to irrigate around 5,000 acres of farmland. Every year, 4 tmc of water is stored in the dam for irrigation. The dam also helps to store water in 88 tanks along the route 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 water for domestic consumption of residents in at least 150 villages and major towns like Chengam and Tiruvannamalai, without reducing its deck storage level of 56 ft.
