Flood alert in 11 districts due to heavy discharge from Mettur dam

COIMBATORE: A flood alert has been sounded in 11 districts following a surge in the release of surplus water from the Mettur dam.

“Inflow into Mettur dam is expected to increase from 45,000 cusecs on Thursday, 6 pm to 60,000 cusecs. Therefore, a flood alert has been issued to Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Ariyalur, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Cuddalore districts. Safety precautions for people staying along the course of the Cauvery River should be taken by the respective district administrations,” said an official of the Water Resources Department (WRD).

The dam, which reached its full reservoir level of 120 feet for the seventh time this year on 20 October, continues to hold to its full capacity. Also, the inflow surged from 35,000 cusecs over the last two days to 45,000 cusecs on Thursday, and the entire volume of surplus water has been discharged from the reservoir.

Meanwhile, water will be released from Aliyar dam on Friday to irrigate 6,400 acres in old ayacut areas in Anaimalai region in Coimbatore. Water not exceeding 11,443 million cusecs will be released from the reservoir under the Parambikulam-Aliyar Scheme for 173 days till April 15.

Tourist and heavy vehicles were barred on the Salem-Yercaud hill road for the second consecutive day on Thursday as a precaution following heavy downpour.

Many tourists, who turned up from across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, were turned away by police deployed in the foothills. A casuarina tree got uprooted on the road near Kondayanur, causing traffic disruptions, while a retaining wall collapsed near Kuppanur Hill Road in the hills.

Also, vehicle movement has been temporarily suspended in seven tribal villages, including Puliyur and Nallur, due to flooding. Similarly, in Dharmapuri, tourists were barred from visiting the flooded Hogenakkal falls, and coracle operations continue to remain suspended.