Water for irrigation in Cauvery delta region was released from Grand Anicut here on Wednesday.
Water released from Mettur Dam on June 12 reached here on Tuesday evening.
Water would be released in turns to ensure uniform distribution through the Cauvery and Vennar and Grand Anicut Canal during the current season.
An official press release said efforts would be initiated for equitable distribution of water for irrigation through the three waterways depending on storage at Mettur, inflow, anticipated rain during southwest monsoon and realisation of Tamil Nadu’s legitimate share of Cauvery water.
Further, depending on the situation and availability of storage at Mettur, water for irrigation would be released in turns from the Grand Anicut. To begin with 500 cusecs of water was being released into the three waterways and another 500 cusecs in the Coleroon from Grand Anicut near Thogur on Thanjavur-Tiruchi district border from June 16.
A total of 2.94 lakh acres in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai districts under kuruvai cultivation would benefit, the release added.
State Ministers K.N. Nehru, M.R.K. Panneerselvam, S. Reghupathy, Ma. Subramanian, S.S. Sivasankar, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Siva V. Meyyanathan, Government Whip Covi. Chezhian, Thanjavur Collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver, Tiruchi Collector S. Sivarasu and others participated in the function.