Tamil Nadu: Incessant rains in catchment areas increase dam storage to 90% in southern districts

Madurai/Tirunelveli/Kanyakumari: Heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of southern districts has led to water level rising at many places. Although the water flow has declined, warnings have been issued in the presses of Vaigai and Mullai Periyar.

According to data provided by the Hydrological Resources Department, the water level at Vaigai Press reached 12,000 cusecs on Monday and 6,000 cusecs on Tuesday. While the discharge flow for irrigation was maintained at 3.169 cusecs at the beginning of the day, it increased to 3.699 cusecs at night after water was released to farmers in Melur and Thirumangalam.

Whereas in Mulla Periyar press, an alert has been issued in two phases with a tail of 7,000 cusecs. If the height of the dam exceeds 140 feet in the coming days, it is possible that a flood warning may be issued here. Meanwhile, in the Madurai region, about 10 small ponds, including Shanmugnathi and Sothuparai in Theni and Nambiar in Tirunelveli, are still brimming. Whereas the storage capacity of almost all other presses has increased to more than 80-90% in the recent times.