Mettur Dam fills up for the sixth time this year
As the dam filled up, a flood alert has been sounded for people living along the banks of the river Cauvery in downstream areas. The dam filled up first on 29 June, then on 5 July, 20 July, 25 July and on 20 August. Last year, the dam reached its FRL thrice.
Mettur Dam
COIMBATORE: The Mettur dam reached its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet for the sixth time this year on Tuesday.
“Due to an increase in inflow, the discharge from Mettur dam has been increased from 22,500 cusecs to 35,000 cusecs. Of this, 22,500 cusecs have been released through the dam’s power house and tunnel power house, 800 cusecs through the canal and the remaining surplus of 12,500 cusecs is discharged through the Ellis Saddle,” said an official.
The dam filled up first on June 29, then on July 5, July 20, July 25 and on August 20. Last year, the dam reached its FRL thrice.
With rains resuming in Cauvery catchment areas, the inflow into the dam surged steadily from 9,828 cusecs on August 27 to 35,800 cusecs on Tuesday, 8 am.
A flood alert has been sounded to people living in villages along the banks of the Cauvery River through a public address system.
With the dam reaching its FRL yet again, the farmers in the delta region are relieved over their water requirements for irrigation.
The dam was opened for delta irrigation on the customary date of June 12 this year.
Meanwhile, bathing and coracle services continue to remain suspended due to flooding in Hogenakkal Falls in Dharmapuri.
Officials have been maintaining a round-the-clock watch at Biligundlu, the entry point of the River Cauvery into Tamil Nadu from Karnataka, as a precaution.
