SALEM: The Water Resources Department (WRD) on Friday, announced a reduction in the discharge of water from Mettur Dam from 1,500 cusecs to 1,000 cusecs, citing a decrease in demand for drinking water in regions downstream, owing to rains.
Officials said water would continue to be released through the dam powerhouse, and downstream barrages have been instructed to maintain the discharge without storing water. Reduction in water release also comes as storage and inflow into the dam have gradually decreased over the past few days.
According to WRD data, the water level in the dam stood at 79.63 feet on Friday morning against the full reservoir level of 120 feet, while the storage was recorded at 41.589 TMC. The inflow into the reservoir was 392 cusecs, considerably lower compared to the previous day. Prior to the revised order, 1,500 cusecs of water were being released into the river, while no water was being discharged through canals. Officials also stated that no rainfall was recorded in catchment areas.
On the previous day, the reservoir level stood at 79.75 feet with a storage of 41.708 TMC, while the inflow was comparatively higher at 622 cusecs. The latest figures indicate a gradual fall in both storage and inflow into the reservoir.