The Water Resources Department has announced that water will be released from the Vaigai dam to irrigate the Old Vaigai irrigation areas in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, and Madurai districts. The release will happen in three phases, starting from Thursday. In the first phase, a total of 1,504 mcft of water will be released for the third reach of the Old Vaigai irrigation area in Ramanathapuram district. This water release will continue for seven days, from November 23 to November 29. In the second phase, 619 mcft of water will be released for the second reach of the irrigation area between Viraghanur and Parthibanur. This release will happen over five days, from December 1. Finally, in the third phase, 343 mcft of water will be released for the first reach of the irrigation area in Madurai district, served through Nilayur Channel and Madakulam. This release will continue for three days, from December 6.