Tourism Minister S. Rajesh Kumar on Monday released water from Pechiparai dam for Kodhayar and Pattnankaal irrigation systems in Kanniyakumari district.Speaking to media persons, Mr. Rajesh Kumar said that an order had been issued to release water from the dam from June 1 to February 28, 2027 for irrigating 79,000 acres of agricultural lands under the two irrigation systems. The discharge would be regulated at 850 cusecs depending on necessity and availability of water in the dam. In the same period, water would also be released from Perunchani, Chittar I and Chittar II dams.The release would benefit farmers across six taluks of the district and support the cultivation of paddy, banana, coconut and other crops. While 64,000 acres of agricultural land would be irrigated through the Kodhayar irrigation system, 15,000 acres of land would benefit through the Pattanankaal system.He added that the total capacity of Pechiparai dam was 48 feet, and water was being released when the storage level stood at 25.17 feet.Collector M. Prathap, MLAs S. Austin, Thalavai Sundaram and R. Chellaswamy, Padmanabhapuram sub collector Vinay Kumar Meena and other officials were present. Published - June 01, 2026 07:17 pm IST