CHENNAI: The water release from Mettur dam has been increased from 21,500 to 26,000 cusecs from 1 am on Monday following increase in the quantity of Cauvery water from Karnataka.

At 8 am on Monday, the level at Mettur stood at 120 ft. Inflow from Karnataka 26,000 cusecs.

The water level of Mettur Dam was 119.650 feet on Sunday morning, with an inflow of 20,505 cusecs. The discharge rate was increased from 12,000 cusecs to 20,000 cusecs to aid Delta irrigation.

Due to recent heavy rains in the Cauvery River's catchment area and the reservoirs in Karnataka, the dam has had significant inflow, bringing its storage to almost full, which has delighted water management and farmers in the Delta.