CHENNAI: The water level in the Poondi reservoir has increased by 8 feet in the last seven days due to the steady inflow from catchment areas. As of Saturday, the reservoir’s storage stood at 2.24 tmcft, against its total capacity of 3.231 tmcft. The water depth has risen to 32 feet from 23.30 feet recorded on December 1. The reservoir’s total depth is 35 feet. Officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD) are keeping a close watch on the situation and are expecting the storage to increase further if the inflow remains steady.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior WRD official said, “On December 1, the inflow into Poondi reservoir was 1,240 cusecs. It later increased to 4,360 cusecs on Thursday and 3,490 cusecs on Friday.”
Explaining the reasons for the rise, the official added, “The catchment areas of Poondi reservoir have received good rain recently. Additionally, we are receiving an average of 400 cusecs of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh.”
“The reservoir’s storage may reach full capacity soon, but there is no need to issue a flood alert now. The IMD has predicted more rain this week, and alerts will be issued if required,” he said. Another official noted, “The Chembarambakkam reservoir has reached 21ft out of its full capacity of 24ft, and in Redhills reservoir, it stands at 18.88 ft against a maximum of 21.2 ft.”