CM Vijay flies to Mettur on September 1 to open the Stanley Reservoir sluice gates — 81 days after June 12. Water for 45 days across 16–17 lakh acres in 13 districts.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay opened the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur on Tuesday, releasing Cauvery water to the delta for the first time this season — 81 days after the traditional June 12 date. It was his first visit to Mettur since taking office as Chief Minister on May 10.
Vijay arrived at Mettur after flying from Chennai to Salem by special flight and travelling the remaining distance by road. In the presence of his Cabinet colleagues including Water Resources Minister N. Anand, he turned a button to open the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir — and then showered flowers and grains on the gushing waters, marking the release of Cauvery water for irrigation in the traditional way.
He posed with farmers on the premises of the dam and inspected a photo exhibition on the iconic Mettur dam and the journey of River Cauvery. He urged farmers to use the available water economically and systematically, and to carry out cultivation activities in accordance with official advice.
The Mettur Dam could not be opened on June 12, the date by which it is traditionally released for kuruvai (short-term paddy) cultivation, because storage levels were too low. The cause: Karnataka had not released Tamil Nadu's proportionate share of Cauvery water from its own reservoirs, despite directions from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), and notwithstanding Tamil Nadu's repeated appeals to the Supreme Court.
The result: kuruvai cultivation in the delta has been severely affected. The area under the crop is estimated to have fallen by around 42,000 hectares this season — a direct consequence of the delayed opening.
The Stanley Reservoir at Mettur, in Salem district, was built in 1934 and is the principal storage point for Cauvery water in Tamil Nadu. Its full reservoir level is 120 feet. On the date of the opening announcement (August 26), the level had reached approximately 88 feet; by August 31, inflow had increased to around 10,485 cusecs as heavy rainfall in Karnataka's Cauvery catchment raised storage in the Kabini and Krishna Sagar reservoirs.
Water released from Mettur reaches the Grand Anaicut in Thanjavur district within a few days, after which it is distributed through the delta's canal network across 13 districts including Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tiruchy, Salem, Karur and Pudukkottai.
After opening the dam and inspecting the photo exhibition, Vijay made an unscheduled stop at a roadside farm while travelling towards Salem airport. He noticed a group of elderly women working in the fields and stepped out of his vehicle to meet them.
Chellam, an elderly resident of the area, walked towards him and held his hand. He asked her name and whether she had eaten. She told him she hadn’t — because she had been waiting to see him first. He walked with her around the garden and the nearby cattle shed belonging to local farmer Palanisamy.
Vijay then removed his Christian Dior sunglasses and handed them to her. She put them on — oversized on her face — and walked beside him with her hand on his arm, waving to people gathered along the route. The images circulated within hours and became one of the most-shared moments of his tenure as Chief Minister.
The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has instructed farmers to use available water judiciously and in consultation with agriculture officials, with a focus on samba cultivation. District Collectors and officers of the Water Resources and Agriculture departments have been directed to coordinate to ensure water reaches tail-end areas through rotational irrigation, and that every available drop provides maximum benefit.
The Supreme Court heard Tamil Nadu's Cauvery water plea again on August 31 — the same day Vijay is preparing to travel to Mettur. Karnataka told the court it was releasing 11,547 cusecs, above the CWMA's 9,000-cusec direction; Tamil Nadu pressed for clearance of the water backlog accumulated during weeks of under-release. The opening of Mettur is possible now because inflows have risen — but Tamil Nadu maintains that a proportionate-share deficit from earlier in the season has not been made good. The Supreme Court on August 31 adjourned the Cauvery dispute to September 15, after Tamil Nadu sought directions to Karnataka to clear the accumulated shortfall. See: Cauvery SC Hearing Aug 31 — Karnataka Claims Compliance, TN Presses for Backlog Clearance.
Mettur Dam Cauvery Delta Farmers Agriculture August 31, 2026