COIMBATORE: The discharge of surplus water through the 16-vent Ellis Saddle of the Mettur dam resumed once again on Friday morning following a surge in inflow.
After the dam reached its full reservoir level of 120 feet for the sixth time on September 2, the surplus water was discharged through the Ellis Saddle.
However, as the inflow dropped to 23,300 cusecs on Thursday, water was released only through the dam’s power house, the tunnel’s power house and through the canal for irrigation.
On Friday morning, the dam’s inflow increased again to 30,800 cusecs. So, 7,500 cusecs of surplus water have been discharged through the Ellis Saddle, while 22,500 cusecs through power houses and 800 cusecs through the canal, said an official.
At Biligundlu, the entry point of Cauvery into Tamil Nadu, the inflow has risen to 32,000 cusecs on Friday, 6 am, following copious rains in the Cauvery catchment areas. It was 14,000 cusecs on Thursday.
Following a surge in inflow, the Dharmapuri District Collector R Sadheesh issued an order suspending coracle operations, while a ban on bathing in the falls continues for the sixth consecutive day.
A flood alert has also been sounded for people living in villages along the banks of the Cauvery river.