Surge in Cauvery inflow forces ban on bathing in Hogenakkal
From 14,000 cusecs on Wednesday, the inflow increased to 24,000 cusecs on Thursday, 6 am and 28,000 cusecs at 10 am and further to 32,000 cusecs at 5 pm.
The flooded Hogenakkal Falls on Sunday.
COIMBATORE: Inflow into Biligundlu, the entry point of River Cauvery into Tamil Nadu, surged to 32,000 cusecs on Sunday evening following rains in the catchment areas in Karnataka.
From 14,000 cusecs on Wednesday, the inflow increased to 24,000 cusecs on Thursday, 6 am and 28,000 cusecs at 10 am and further to 32,000 cusecs at 5 pm.
With the Cauvery river in spate, the Dharmapuri District Collector R Sadheesh has issued an order banning bathing and coracle operations in Hogenakkal, a popular tourist destination, while leaving tourists disappointed.
The entry to the falls has been closed, and people were advised by police against bathing in the course of the river. Officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) are maintaining a close watch on the water flow.
Eventually, the inflow into the Mettur dam surged significantly from 9,828 cusecs on Wednesday to 16,493 cusecs on Thursday morning and further to 29,360 cusecs in the evening.
The heavy inflow into the dam has raised hopes that the reservoir may fill up in the coming days.
As of Thursday, 4 pm, the dam had a storage of 118.86 feet as against its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet.
Because of heavy inflow, water release from the dam for delta irrigation has been increased from 15,850 to 20,800 cusecs.
