Mettur dam inching towards full capacity as inflow increases

COIMBATORE: The storage in Stanley Reservoir in Mettur Dam is gradually inching towards its full reservoir level following a surge in inflow.

As on Tuesday, 8 am, the water level in the dam stood at 119.400 feet as against its full reservoir level of 120 feet with a storage of 92,518 Mcft. The dam, which reached its FRL on July 16, remained full till September 23 resulting in frequent flooding in River Cauvery and inundation of several downstream areas.

As the inflow began to dip, the water level too started to go down, although by just a couple of feet. Following heavy downpour in Cauvery catchment areas, the inflow surged sharply from 11,038 cusecs on Monday to 20,626 cusecs on Tuesday morning.

Eventually, the dam’s storage level too rose by nearly one foot in a day from 118.710 feet on Monday to 119.400 feet on Tuesday morning. The inflow into the dam is expected to go up further and the dam in all likelihood may fill up by Tuesday night, said an official.

On Tuesday, 15,000 cusecs of water was discharged into Cauvery River for irrigation in Delta districts. Meanwhile, Dharmapuri district administration has barred tourists from visiting Hogenakkal falls due to flooding and coracle services remain suspended.

Biligundlu, the entry point of Cauvery into Tamil Nadu realised an inflow of 28,000 cusecs on Tuesday evening.