Dam’s storage level in TN stands at 75%

CHENNAI: With nearly a month left for the withdrawal of northeast monsoon, the cumulative storage in the State’s reservoirs stands above 75% of its total storage capacity of 224.297 thousand million cubic feet (tmc).

However, 22 reservoirs out of 90 have less than 20% of their full capacity, and seven have less than 1%.

WRD officials, citing the Regional Meteorological Centre’s forecast, said they were optimistic that there would be a drastic increase in the storage levels, particularly in Chennai region. They hoped that the cyclonic storm would bring heavy to very heavy rains in districts along the coastal region from Tiruvallur to Nagapattinam.

According to data from the Water Resource Department, reservoirs have 169.314 tmc, accounting for 75.49%, at 8 am on Wednesday. The storage level in the Stanley Reservoir, at Mettur was 83.69% of its full capacity of 93.470 tmc.

Moderate to heavy rainfall in several parts of the state was gradually building up the storage level, said the officials, noting that Dindigul, Tirupur, and Ariyalur districts have witnessed 15 mm to 51 mm of rainfall, while a few other districts have received moderate rainfall in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on Wednesday.

Of the 14,139 tanks maintained by the department, 2,069, including 588 in Kanniyakumari and 286 in Thanjavur districts, have attained their full capacity.