1.25 lakh cusecs water released from Mettur dam; WRD warns of further rise in discharge
By 8 am yesterday, the Mettur dam’s water level had risen to 118.84 feet with an inflow of 62,870 cusecs, prompting more flood warnings for those living along the Cauvery River banks.
Mettur dam
CHENNAI: Water release from the Mettur dam was increased to 1,25,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) at 8 am on Wednesday, up from 81,500 cusecs the previous night.
A press release from the Water Resources Department stated that the release of surplus water could be increased upto 1,75,000 cusecs at any moment and hence, people living along the banks of the Cauvery River and low-lying areas have been advised to move to safer places, in light of potential flooding.
A burst of monsoon in the catchment areas of the Cauvery River and its tributaries in Kerala and Karnataka saw the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur reaching the brim after a gap of 18 months, forcing the authorities to divert the surplus water downstream.
The dam reached its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, Karnataka also ramped up its water release to 2,30,000 cusecs, causing a surge in water flow into the Hogenakkal, which submerged the rocks there.
By 8 am yesterday, the Mettur dam’s water level had risen to 118.84 feet with an inflow of 62,870 cusecs, prompting more flood warnings for those living along the Cauvery River banks.
By noon, the inflow had increased to 41,772 cubic feet per second, and the water level reached 119.02 feet. By 4 pm, the level had climbed to 119.43 feet with a flow rate of 54,459 cusecs. At 6 pm, the flow rate increased to 69,000 cusecs, pushing the water level to 120 feet, reaching the dam's full capacity for the 43rd year. In response, 46,000 cusecs of excess water was released through 16 sluices, and a final flood warning was issued for the riverside areas.
On Sunday, the Stanley Reservoir was opened for delta irrigation. It was not opened on the customary date of June 12 to irrigate 'kuruvai' (short term) crops as the storage level was low. However, an intense southwest monsoon turned the tides in favour of Tamil Nadu with surplus discharge from the KRS and Kabini dams in Karnataka.
(With Bureau inputs)
