DHARMAPURI: The water inflow in the Cauvery near Hogenakkal came down to 6,000 cusecs on Saturday, leading to reduced inflow in the Mettur Dam.
Cauvery water released from Karnataka reached the Mettur Dam on August 4, with the inflow rising sharply from around 67 cusecs in the morning to 4,923 cusecs by evening. The water level marginally increased to 73 feet on the same day, while the storage stood at 35,354 mcft. The inflow reached a maximum of 19,264 cusecs on August 6, when the water level stood at 76.18 feet. The inflow subsequently declined, and on Saturday, it was recorded at 10,808 cusecs and storage at 40,020 mcft.
Speaking to TNIE, officials in the block development office said, “On Saturday, when the inflow came down, the falls area had very turbulent flow and it was difficult for the coracle operators to continue their operation. As a precaution, they stopped their operations temporarily. It is likely that they will start tomorrow, after the erratic flow eases.”
C Prabhu, a coracle operator, said, “We had requested the stoppage of the coracle operations as the conditions were not favourable. While the inflow was low, the conditions were not favorable for transporting tourists and we were unable to control the coracles near Manalmedu. We informed the BDO that we will not go on coracle rides today for the safety of the tourists.”
