COIMBATORE: Water release from the Mettur Dam for irrigation in the Cauvery Delta region was increased to 10,000 cusecs on Sunday, in view of the rising water requirement for samba cultivation.

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay opened the sluice gates of the reservoir on September 1 to facilitate samba cultivation

The water release is expected to continue for 45 days, until October 15. The discharge was initially fixed at 3,000 cusecs and was subsequently increased to 7,000 cusecs. With the demand for irrigation water increasing, the discharge was raised further to 10,000 cusecs from Sunday evening.

As of Sunday, the water level in the Mettur Dam stood at 92.39 feet, while the inflow into the reservoir was recorded at 9,709 cusecs. The water released from the dam is expected to benefit nearly 16 lakh acres of farmland across 13 Delta districts.