Heavy discharge from Pillur, flood alert along Bhavani

COIMBATORE: A flood alert has been issued to people living along the banks of River Bhavani following heavy discharge from Pillur Dam.

Inflow into the dam surged sharply from less than 1000 cusecs to 9,000 cusecs around 11 pm on Wednesday. Therefore, water level in the dam increased to 95.5 feet as against its full reservoir level of 100 feet. Around 6,000 cusecs of water was released from the dam.

Copious Southwest monsoon rains in the catchment areas led to a sudden and sharp increase in inflow into the dam, Coimbatore North RDO K Booma inspected the flooded Bhavani River late in the night.

On a war footing measure, the people living along the river bank in Mettupalayam, Sirumugai and other low lying areas were shifted to marriage halls as a precaution. The villagers have also been warned against bathing, washing clothes and fishing in the flooded waters.

However, the inflow into the dam reduced gradually to 8,000 cusecs at around 5 am, when the dam’s storage level was at 96.25 feet and discharge was maintained at the same 6,000 cusecs. Further, the inflow dropped to 5,000 cusecs at 8 am. A team of officials are staying alert round the clock to monitor the fluctuating water level in the reservoir.

Meanwhile, the sky remained overcast and intermittent rains poured out in Coimbatore, The Nilgiris and other neighbouring districts. In Attur village in ‘O’ Valley in Gudalur, the damp walls of more than 10 houses collapsed due to heavy rains.