Alert sounded as AP dam discharge floods Ponnai river

While the dam released 4500 cft (cubic feet) of water on Saturday, the flow was reduced to 2600 cft on Sunday, PWD officials informed Collector AR Gladstone Pushparaj.

The water was immediately diverted to irrigation tanks at Mahendravadi (122 cft), Kaveripakkam (818 cft), Sakkaramallur (73 cft) and Dosi (409 cft).

Farmers were overjoyed at the heavy flows into the Ponnai river would help agriculture. Former Thangal panchayat president TC Padmanaban said 600 acres in the area covered by paddy, cane and groundnut would benefit due to continuous flow in the three-kilometre channel from the Ponnai river to the ayacut.

It may be recalled that in June, officials were forced to desilt this channel when repeated representations from local ryots to do so failed to elicit any response resulting in farmers themselves taking up the task.

In the Vellore district, heavy rain in the hilly tracts abutting the Mordana dam in Gudiyattam taluk has resulted in the tank almost reaching its FTL (full tank level) of 36 feet in a day or two.