THENI/MADURAI: The Water Resources Department (WRD) has reported that the water level in the Vaigai dam stood at 70.14 feet against its full capacity of 71 feet on Sunday evening.
Officials said that measures are being taken to maintain the water at 70 feet to ensure dam safety and to supply adequate water for irrigation.
They added that with the current storage standing at 5,864 mcft against the full capacity of 6,091 mcft, an inflow of 2,113 cusecs and a discharge of 1,499 cusecs, which included 1,430 cusecs released through canals and 69 cusecs for drinking water purposes, while there was no discharge into the river was recorded as per Sunday 4 pm.
Official sources said that the government has approved the release of 1,824 mcft of water from the dam for irrigation in the traditional Vaigai Ayacut areas. Water will be released in three phases: from October 27 to 31, water will be released to Ayacut area III, from November 2 to 6 for area II, and from November 8 to 13 for area I. Further, till March 2026, whenever the dam’s storage reaches 1,354 mcft, water will be released to the three ayacut divisions in the ratio of 2:3:7, as per the existing distribution norms.
Meanwhile, the WRD is also preparing a proposal to release water through the 58th canal, following strong demands from farmers across the region. Officials said that the release would commence once the necessary approvals are received.
M Manikandan, a farmer from Usilampatti, said, “The 58th canal has remained dry for a long time. Early release of surplus water will not only benefit farmers in the tail-end areas but also help recharge the groundwater table across Madurai.”
When recalled, both farmers and MLA R B Udhayakumar had submitted a petition to the collector recently, seeking immediate release of water in the 58th canal.
