In the city of Chennai, news spread on Monday that the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district has again filled to its maximum height of 120 feet. The dam has reached full capacity for the seventh time this year thanks to steady water coming from Karnataka and the Cauvery river basin.
Heavy rain from the ongoing southwest monsoon is piling up on the Cauvery. The dam recorded a surge of 20,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water, so authorities balanced the inflow by releasing the same amount downstream.
Water‑resource officials now say the reservoir stores 93.47 thousand million cubic feet (TMC ft). To keep the water levels safe, the Ellis Saddle surplus sluices are opening to dump excess water, while an additional 800 cusecs go out through upper sluice gates to supply drinking water to downstream districts.
Because the spillway can cause flooding, authorities in the revenue and disaster‑management departments are warning residents of low‑lying, riverbank areas to evacuate to higher ground. Local radio and loud‑speaker alerts are warning people in villages along the Cauvery to stay clear of the rising waters.
Officials urge the public to avoid activities that could put them in danger: no bathing, no laundry, and no selfie‑taking near the floodwaters.
“We’re seeing a lot of water coming in from rains in Karnataka and the Cauvery basin,” a Water Resources Department officer said. “Stay alert and cooperate with local rules as water release will continue based on inflow.”
Mettur Dam reached its full level on June 29, July 5, July 20, July 25, August 20, and September 2 earlier this year—an unusually high number of times in a single monsoon season.
Continuous monitoring is underway to keep water regulation safe and prevent flooding in neighboring areas. With the northeast monsoon expected to intensify later this month, officials are keeping a close eye on future inflows.
Built in 1934, the Mettur Dam sits on the Cauvery River and remains a backbone for irrigation, drinking water supply, and power generation across Tamil Nadu’s delta districts.
Source: ianslive
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