CM to open Mettur gates today, ban on selfies for locals, tourists

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will open the sluice gates of the dam for irrigation in the delta districts on Thursday at 10 am. 

Inspecting the dam, which surged to 102.73 feet at 8 am on Wednesday, Salem District Collector Rohini R Bhajibhakare appealed to people to avoid taking ‘selfie’ in the backdrop of flooded Cauvery. “People should desist from taking photos, selfies and bathing along the course of the river, which is likely to witness a heavy flow once the sluice gates are opened,” the Collector said.

The water released from the dam will take its course through Mettur Dam Park, Sekkanur dam, Kottaiyur, Poolampatty and Nerijipettai areas. The flood alert which was issued to people in the low-lying areas from Biligundulu to Mettur also continues. People have been asked to call the toll-free number 1077, which would function round the clock for any flood-related assistance.

The PWD officials are hoping that the dam would reach its full reservoir capacity of 120 feet in a few days. “The dam’s storage level stood at 102.73 feet at 8 am on Wednesday and is likely to cross 105 feet by night. It reached 100 feet after a gap of four years on Tuesday night.

The dam received over 1.40 lakh cusecs on Wednesday, a drop by 3,000 cusecs as recorded on Tuesday,” said a PWD official. The dam last crossed the 100-foot-mark on August 8, 2014. About 1,000 cusecs of water have been released from the dam for drinking water purpose. At Biligundulu, the entry point to Tamil Nadu, the Central Water Commission (CWC) officials recorded 1.12 lakh cusecs on Wednesday at 8 am as against 1.20 lakh cusecs on Tuesday. Tourists were barred from taking bath in the Hogenakkal falls and coracle rides were suspended due to heavy flooding.

About 16 lakh acres of land in Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Trichy, Tanjore, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Pudukottai and Cuddalore districts are dependent on water from the Mettur dam.

Though it missed its customary release date of June 12 owing to poor storage, the farmers in the delta districts were happy that the sluice gate of the dam will be finally opened on Thursday.