Chennai, July 28 (Reporter) A couple of hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin held a review meeting with District Collectors, Water was released from the Mettur Dam for irrigating the Kuruvai paddy crops cultivated by the farmers in the Cauvery Delta region. As per the directions of the Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru opened the sluice gates of the dam, as the water gushed out in full flow, and showered rose petals. Senior district and PWD officials were present when the dam was opened at 3.00 pm as directed by the Chief Minister. The water was released in view of copious inflow into the dam, due to heavy rains in the catchment areas of Karnataka during the last few days, much to the relief of farmers in the Cauvery delta districts, who have been appealing to the Chief Minister to open the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir for irrigation in view of the good storage level. Once the water was released, authorities, using loudspeakers, appealed to the people living in Cauvery embankment areas to move to safer places. Ahead of releasing the water to enable the farmers to take up Kuruvai paddy cultivation, Mr Stalin held a review meeting with district collectors (who joined via video-conferencing) at the State Secretariat at noon, analysed the storage level in the Stanley reservoir and directed that Cauvery waters would be released from the Mettur Dam for irrigation at 3.00 pm. An official release said in the first phase 12,000 cusecs of water was released from the dam after taking all precautionary measures and the outflow would be stepped up depending upon the inflow. The water was released for irrigating the Kuruvai crops and for the people to celebrate the ensuing traditional "Aadi Perukku" festival with fervour and gaiety. Mr Stalin said there has been significant inflow in the Mettur Dam since July 17 and the present level was 109.20 ft as against its full level of 120 ft and the storage level was 77.30 tmcft. Since all the four dams in Karnataka were filled to the brim due to heavy rains in the catchment areas, about 1.48 lakh cusecs of surplus water were being released. "Since the rains are likely to continue for the next three days, the Dam is likely to get more inflow in the coming days",he said. The dam could not be released on the traditional date of June 12 due to poor storage level and the Chief Minister announced a Rs 78.67 crore special Kuruvai package for the benefit of farmers last month. He also said this year canals to a distance of 5,339 km in 13 districts in the Cauvery Delta region were desilted to ensure that the water released from the dam reached the tailend areas and to store 8.513 tmcft water in lakes and waterbodies. During the review meeting, in which Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan and other Ministers and officials participated, the Chief Minister directed the district collectors and other departments to take all steps to ensure that the farmers use the water judiciously, store it in tanks and lakes and recharge the ground water resources. Mr Stalin also directed the authorities to take all precautionary measures and make necessary security arrangements for the Aadi Perukku festival as people will congregate in large numbers in the Cauvery bankment areas to celebrate it. Since there was a possibility of release of large quantity of water from the dam, the authorities were directed to evacuate those living in low-lying and river embankment areas and shift them to safer places...////...