Water was released from Kuppanatham dam in Chengam near Tiruvannamalai town on Saturday, March 2, 2024, following requests from farmers to help them irrigate 9,432.76 acres of paddy fields in the region.
Accompanied by C.N. Annadurai, MP (Tiruvannamalai), Collector D. Bhaskara Pandian, opened the sluice gates of the dam located a few kilometres away from the reservoir downstream.
Water will be released into the river and distributed to the left and right bank canals from the pick-up dam. Water will be released for 25 days (up to March 27) for irrigation. Every day, on an average, 152 cusecs of water will be released for farming. Cultivators have been advised to utilise the water judiciously as it being used to meet drinking water needs of villages in the district as well.
Saturday’s opening of the sluice gates comes as sowing for the paddy season in the region has started. Water from the neighbouring Sathanur dam will help irrigate over 45,000 acres of farmland in the district. Water from Kuppanatham dam, which has a total storage capacity of 700 mcft of water, will benefit farmers in 40 villages in Chengam and Kalasapakkam taluks. At present, the excess water from the dam is discharged into 47 irrigation tanks in the district, thereby recharging the water table in and around villages located at the foot of the Jawadhu Hills.
