TIRUVANNAMALAI: Around 14 villages received a flood alert as Sathanur dam almost reached its full storage capacity of 7,321 million cubic feet (mcft). According to the Water Resources Department, the storage level reached 6,875 mcft at 10 am, and the outflow was 6,365 cusecs.
The level at Sathanur had been increasing with the release of thousands of cusecs from Krishnagiri dam, Pambar dam, and also from the Kallar River. The 14 villages -- Kolamanjanur, Thiruvadathanur, Puthur Chekkadi, Edathanur, Rayandapuram, Agarampallipattu, Olagalapadi, M Puthur, Kil Ravanthavadi, Thondamanur, Malamanjanur, Allappanur, Vazhavachanur, and Sadakuppam -- were on high alert.
The spillway gates are likely to be opened to discharge excess water, official sources said. The Water Resources Department informed the revenue department to control any vehicular traffic over the causeways on all roads and highways, during the release of water. As a precautionary measure to avoid damages or losses, wide publicity should be given to the above-mentioned villages, it added.
Kuppanatham, Shenbagathoppu, and Mirugandanathi have also reached more than 80% of their respective storage capacity.