Surplus water released from Poondi and Puzhal reservoirs as storage reaches full capacity

CHENNAI: The Water Resources Department (WRD) began releasing surplus water from the Poondi and Puzhal reservoirs on Tuesday after both waterbodies reached their full capacity.

According to an official release, the Poondi reservoir touched its full capacity of 3,231 million cubic feet (mcft) and the Puzhal reservoir reached 3,300 mcft. With an inflow of 1,070 cusecs continuing into Poondi, the WRD started releasing 300 cusecs of surplus water from 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and diverted 700 cusecs into the link canal leading to the Chembarambakkam reservoir.

At Puzhal, where the inflow was 240 cusecs as of 8 p.m., authorities began releasing 300 cusecs of surplus water.

Following heavy rains brought by cyclone Ditwah last week, all five reservoirs - Poondi, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam, Cholavaram and Kannankottai–Thervoy Kandigai - that supply drinking water to Chennai now hold a combined storage of 11,030 mcft, amounting to 93.82 per cent of their total capacity of 11,757 mcft.

Chembarambakkam has a storage of 3,496 mcft, which is 95.91 per cent of its total capacity. The Cholavaram reservoir currently stores 539 mcft against its total capacity of 1,081 mcft. The Kannankottai–Thervoy Kandigai reservoir holds 464 mcft out of a total capacity of 500 mcft.

Authorities have advised residents in low-lying areas and those living near riverbanks, particularly along the Kosasthalaiyar river basin and the Puzhal lake surplus canal, to remain vigilant as water levels continue to rise.