Discharge from Mettur down to 70K cusecs as inflow dips

CHENNAI: With the inflow from Karnataka reducing after the rains there subsided, the authorities here have stepped down the discharge from Stanley reservoir in Mettur to 70,000 cusecs as of 8 am on Sunday.

The intense southwest monsoon showers there, especially in the catchment areas of Cauvery, brought a substantial volume of water to the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) and Kabini, and the Karnataka government began discharging water from these dams.

The discharge was as high as 2 lakh cusecs at one point, leading to Mettur dam filling to the brim. After reviewing the situation, including possibility of Karnataka releasing more water from its reservoirs, the government began discharging water from Mettur dam for Delta irrigation and Aadi Perukku festival.

With around 1.80 lakh cusecs being released from there, areas along the banks of the Cauvery in Komarapalayam, Pallipalayam in Namakkal district, and residential areas in Erode district were flooded. People in the areas were safely accommodated in relief camps as a precautionary measure. Now, as the intensity of rain has decreased in Karnataka, the inflow from there has reduced and hence the discharge from Mettur was brought down to 70,000 cusecs. However, the water level in the dam continues to remain at 120 feet, its full capacity.