METTUR LEVEL MAY TOUCH 100 FT SOON

SALEM/DHARMAPURI: Water level in Mettur dam has gone up by 11 feet in four days, from 83.98 feet on Tuesday to 94.32 feet by Friday, due to increase in water discharge from Cauvery basin reservoirs in Karnataka.

The water inflow at Hogenakkal has touched 98,000 cusecs on Friday evening and over 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh cusecs of water is expected to be released from Krishnasagar dam in Karnataka. The Dharmapuri district administration has issued a flood alert to low-lying areas in the Cauvery basin.

According to an official from the Water Resources Department (WRD), water level in Mettur dam may touch the 100-feet mark within a few days. The copious inflow is attributed to the recent spell of heavy showers in the upper catchment areas of the Cauvery in Karnataka and Kerala. The dam, whose full capacity is 120 feet, currently holds 57,620 million cubic feet of water. The inflow is 68,032 cusecs and the outflow is being maintained at 1,000 cusecs.

L Panneer Selvam, executive engineer, Central Water Commission (CWC), has instructed officials to closely monitor the level at Mettur dam. An estimated 83,000 cusecs of water from Krishna Raja Sagara and Kabini dams in Karnataka is expected to reach Mettur by Saturday evening, he said.

The quick rise in water level in Mettur is a welcome development for the delta region which relies heavily on the dam for irrigation and drinking water.

Dharmapuri Collector K Santi said in a press release said, “In the late hours of Thursday, the office of executive engineer, Krishnasagar, issued a statement saying that over 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh cusecs of water would be released from Krishnasagar dam at any time due to the increased inflow. The statement advised all downstream areas to be alert due to the surging inflow levels and to make preparations.

On Thursday morning water inflow was 30,000 cusecs, and it rose to 62,000 cusecs on Friday morning. It stood at 98,000 cusecs on Friday evening. The inflow might touch one lakh cusecs by Friday night. A precautionary flood alert has been issued.

All tourism activities at Hogenakkal have been suspended until further notice. CWC officials are closely monitoring the situation and people living in low-lying areas are requested to move to elevated areas.”

2024-07-27T02:40:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd