After a dip, inflow into Mettur dam surges above 1 L cusecs

COIMBATORE: After a drop, inflow into Mettur dam once again rose sharply to 1 lakh cusecs on Thursday and is going up further following heavy rains in catchment areas.

As the River Cauvery is swelling, the authorities of the Public Works Department (PWD) have sounded a flood alert in the downstream Cauvery basin districts. The dam has been at its full reservoir capacity of 120 feet since October 12. Until two days ago, around 1.95 lakh cusecs was discharged from the dam before dropping gradually.

On Thursday, around 8 am, the dam received an inflow of 65,000 cusecs and it increased to 75,000 cusecs at 9 am, further to 95,000 cusecs in the afternoon and above 1 lakh cusecs in the evening. The inflow is likely to go up further and the entire surplus water has been discharged from the dam.

Meanwhile, over 100 houses at KCC Nagar in Hosur in Krishnagiri district got inundated following heavy rains. Residents spent sleepless nights and moved over to their terraces as rainwater mixed with sewage entered their houses, while several two-wheelers and cars got drowned in the stagnant water.

The fire service personnel rescued families trapped in water stagnated areas and served food parcels to residents by reaching out to them in inflated boats. The harried residents claimed that encroachments should be removed and other preventive measures should be taken to stop flooding in their locality.

A few other areas such as Pasumai Nagar, Kurinji Nagar, Samathuvapuram and Manjunatha Lay-Out in the district also faced the problem of inundation. Hosur corporation commissioner K Balasubramanian visited the flooded areas and inspected efforts taken by the fire service and corporation staff to drain out the stagnant water.