Water was released from Uppar Dam in Tiruppur district for irrigation of 6,060 acres in Dharapuram and Kundadam blocks, on Saturday.
Minister for Information and Publicity M.P. Saminathan initiated opening of the shutters on left and right canals in the presence of Minister for Human Resource Management N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, Erode Lok Sabha MP K. E. Prakash, Tiruppur Collector Manish Naranaware, and senior officials of Water Resources Department.
About 173 mcft water will be released with intervals over a 20-day duration till January 23, to meet the requirements of agriculture and livestock management, Mr. Saminathan said.
While the release was at the rate of 72 cusecs into the right canal, 105 cusecs were let into the left canal.
Against 24 feet maximum depth, the current water level is at 13.60 feet, with storage of 222.75 mcft. The maximum holding capacity was assessed at 576 mcft following the renovation works carried out during 2018-19 at a cost of ₹ 8 crore.
