Storage level breaches 100 ft in Mettur Dam

CHENNAI: Heavy downpours in the catchment area upstream of the Cauvery River brought over 29,000 cusecs of water to Mettur reservoir, taking the water storage level above 100 feet on Wednesday. It also had a cascading effect on the overall water storage level of the reservoirs in the state, which stood at 66.29 per cent of the total storage capacity of 224.297 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet.

At 8 am on Wednesday, the reservoir recorded an inflow of 29,850 cusecs and took the water storage level to 100.01 feet against the full storage capacity of 120 feet.

The last time the reservoir had water over 100 feet was on September 24, and it gradually went down as the authorities discharged between 20,000 cusecs and 17,000 cusecs downstream.

According to officials stationed in Mettur, the reservoir has received a steady and good water inflow from Karnataka. "We have been receiving more than 10,000 cusecs of water in nearly a week, as there were rains ranging from sharp showers to intermediate rains in Karnataka." said a Water Resource Department official.

Among the other reservoirs, four reservoirs in the Coimbatore region have been filled, one each in Theni and one in the Dharmapuri district. Six other reservoirs have over 90 per cent water storage against their total capacity.