CUDDALORE: Surplus water from the Lower Anaicut near Kattumannarkoil is being released into the sea at the rate of one lakh cubic feet per second, Water Resources Department officials said.
Following monsoon rain in Karnataka and around Hogenakkal in Tamil Nadu, the Mettur dam has reached its full capacity for the seventh time this year. Officials said since 65,000 cusecs of surplus water is being discharged from the Kabini dam, Mettur continues to receive heavy inflow. The surplus water from Mettur is being released to the Mukkombu and Kallanai dams, from where about one lakh cusecs is discharged into the Kollidam River. The water reaches Lower Anaicut, where nine feet of water has been stored, and the excess continues to flow into the sea through the Kollidam .
From the Vadavar canal, 519 cusecs is being discharged into the Veeranam lake. Similarly, 100 cusecs is released into the North and South Rajan canals.
Officials said, “As one lakh cusecs is being released, people living in villages along the Kollidam have been told not to enter the river or send cattle for grazing. The water level is high and there have been crocodile sightings.”
The Veeranam lake currently holds 45.40 feet of water against its full capacity of 47.50 feet, amounting to 956 million cubic feet out of the total 1,465 million cubic feet. Of this, 295 cusecs is being used for irrigation, and 73 cusecs is supplied to the Chennai.