After two years, Veeranam touches full reservoir level

The reservoir last reached FRL in 2015, when torrential rain wreaked havoc in Chennai and adjoining districts. With the capacity to supply 180mld (million litres per day or 77 cusecs) to Chennai, the reservoir has been supplying 70 cusecs to the state capital of late.

State WRO (Water Resource Organisation) engineers who confirmed the brimming of the reservoir attributed it to steady inflow from Mettur Stanley Reservoir, which was opened after a three-month delay in early October. The WRO has been releasing less than 200 cusecs from the reservoir for Veeranam ayacut areas, measuring 44,000 acres. Though the inflow would gradually decrease in the coming days owing to the near closure of Stanley Reservoir shutters, the lake would get replenished again when water released for delta irrigation from Mettur reaches Lower Anaicut. “We will discharge water for the entire crop period. Stanley Reservoir shutters have been downed owing to heavy downpour in the Delta region. If the Delta farmers need more water for the current crop season, they would release more water from Mettur.

Accordingly, Cauvery water reaching Lower Anaicut would refill Veeranam despite it releasing water for ayacut areas and Chennai’s drinking water purpose,” a senior WRD engineer told DT Next.

Understandably, Chennai Metro water engineers were equally enthused by the bountiful storage in Veeranam Lake. In fact, they have pinned their hopes on seeing through the ensuing dog days (April -June) only by tapping water from Veeranam, apart from their two desalination plants after the northeast monsoon played truant in the second half of the rainy season.