Water level in Mettur dam continues to rise due to heavy water discharge from dams in Karnataka

The water storage at the Stanley Reservoir, the lifeline of lakhs of farmers in the Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu, crossed the half-way mark on Monday as it stood at 54.833 tmcft against the full capacity of 93.5 tmcft as excess water continues to be discharged from dams in Karnataka.

The water level at the 86-year-old reservoir built by the British regime also rose to 91.930 feet at 8 pm on Monday against the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 120 feet. While the inflow was 1,29,000 cusecs, the outflow was 10,000 cusecs.

The dam’s water level and storage have been witnessing a steady increase due to heavy discharge of water from Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs in Karnataka. The reservoirs continue to get huge amounts of water as rains continue to pound the catchment areas of river Cauvery.

As huge amounts of water are being released from the reservoirs in Cauvery, the Tamil Nadu government has asked people living on the banks of the river, which begins its journey from Talakaveri in Karnataka and merges into the ocean near Poompuhar, to be alert.

The inflow of water in Biligundulu, the entry point of River Cauvery in Tamil Nadu, stood at over 1.29 lakh cusecs at 8 pm on Monday. The water level at the 86-year-old dam is expected to rise in the coming days due to huge discharge from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs.

The Mettur dam had attained FRL more than once in the past two years due to heavy rains in the catchment areas. Water released from the dam is the only source for lakhs of farmers in the Delta region who cultivate paddy and other crops.