Mettur dam reaches full level, districts on high alert

The Stanley Reservoir in Mettur achieved its full reservoir level (FRL) on Saturday for the second time in 20 days with the inflow reaching 1.35 lakh cusecs of water, forcing Tamil Nadu Government to put seven districts, including Salem, on high alert.

With the water inflow from the Kabini and KRS dams in Karnataka reaching an all-time high of 1.35 lakh cusecs, the water being released from the Mettur dam has been increased to 1.25 lakh cusecs.

Since more than 1 lakh cusecs of water is being discharged from the Mettur dam, all seven districts through which the Cauvery passes through have been asked to be on high alert since there could be a possibility of flooding. The State Disaster Management Authority said all seven district collectors have been instructed to take enough precautionary measures to handle any situation.

Salem district collector Rohini R Bhajibhakare told DH that nearly 11 families whose houses are close to the riverside have been evacuated and lodged in relief centres. The top district official said she in touch with collectors of downstream districts like Namakkal, Erode, Karur and those falling under the Cauvery Delta region and all are working in close coordination.

“All measures have been taken to ensure that people are not affected. Since 1.25 lakh cusecs of water is being released, we have put all officials in the 16 revenue villages in the district that are on the banks on high alert,” she said.

People living in low lying areas will be evacuated if necessary, she said. Mettur Dam, which is the lifeline of farmers in the Delta region, has achieved its FRL for the second time in three weeks. The reservoir achieved its full level on July 24 after a gap of five years. Karir collector T. Anbalagan told DH that the district administration was well prepared to handle any situation. “We have put all our officers on high alert and they are creating awareness among the people that they should not go near the river,” he said, adding that excess water is being stored