THENI: Heavy rain in the upper catchment areas of Mullai Periyar and Varusanadu hills triggered a sharp rise in the inflow of Vaigai dam on Saturday, leading to a four-foot increase in its water level within a day. With the dam storage crossing 66.01 feet by 7 pm, the WRD has issued a first-stage flood warning for five districts including Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram.
Theni received an average of 46.61 mm rainfall, in which Thekkady received 158 mm rainfall and Shanmuganadhi area received 95 mm rainfall, according to Friday morning. Rainfall was reported across the district, especially in Uthamapalayam and Kottagudi areas.
Since Friday night, continuous downpours have lashed the Varusanadu hill ranges in Andipatti taluk of Theni, swelling the flow in the Moola Vaigai river.
Simultaneously, the discharge from the Mullai Periyar dam at a rate of 1,400 cusecs to the Tamil Nadu side, coupled with widespread rainfall across Theni, has resulted in a significant surge of inflow into the Vaigai reservoir.
WRD officials said that tributaries including the Moola Vaigai, Kottagudi, Manjalar, and Kattaru streams were running full. At 6 am on Saturday, the Vaigai dam stood at 62.47 feet against its full capacity of 71 feet, with an inflow of 2, 268 cubic feet per second (cusecs). However, the situation changed rapidly by afternoon. By 1 pm, the inflow risen to 17,310 cusecs and by evening, dam storage was at 64.5 feet, and by 7 pm the dam storage had crossed 66 feet with an average inflow of 17,652 cusecs.
To manage the rising storage, the WRD authorities released 1,349 cusecs from the dam for irrigation and drinking water supply.
A senior WRD official said, “The upper catchment areas have received intense rainfall in the past 24 hours. All tributaries leading to the Vaigai are in full flow, causing a steady rise in the dam’s inflow. We are closely monitoring the situation and regulating outflow based on storage and downstream requirements.”
Officials added that the department is maintaining round-the-clock monitoring at the dam site and in low-lying areas downstream to ensure safety and timely release management. Farmers seek action towards releasing water in 58 canals, which can recharge several tanks and aid in recharging the groundwater table in Madurai.
