THENI: With water level in the Vaigai dam reaching 69 feet on Monday afternoon, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has issued a third-stage flood warning to five southern districts, including Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram. The first-stage flood warning was issued on Saturday evening.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the storage stood at 69.13 feet against its full capacity of 71 feet, holding 5,605 mcft of water. The dam was receiving over 4,875 cusecs of water. The total discharge was maintained at 3,630 cusecs, including 1,280 cusecs through the canal, 2,281 cusecs through the river, and 69 cusecs for drinking water.
Moderate rain was reported in Varusanadu and Kottagudi catchment areas on Tuesday, and as per officials, Theni district on Tuesday morning recorded an average of 8.8 mm rainfall (Sothuparai and Bodi received 20 mm rainfall).
A senior official said, “We are monitoring the dam site round-the-clock and are regulating the discharge to ensure downstream safety.” Manikandan, a farmer leader from Madurai, said, “The floodwater could be released through all the extension canals, so that it can be effectively stored in the irrigation tanks.”