Discharge of surplus water from Mettur dam increased to 1.25 lakh cusecs

Increased discharge from Stanley Reservoir in Mettur to 1.25 lakh cusecs prompts flood warning in Salem.

The discharge from Stanley Reservoir in Mettur was increased to 1.25 lakh cusecs at 8 a.m. in Salem on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

The inflow that was 82,000 cusecs at 4 a.m. increased to 1,25,500 cusecs at 8 a.m. and the entire inflow was discharged into River Cauvery. While 1.25 lakh cusecs was discharged into the river, 500 cusecs was discharged into the East-West canal. The water level continues to be at its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet while the storage was also maintained at its total capacity of 93.47 tmc ft.

An official at the Water Resources Department (WRD) said the Collectors of Salem, Erode, Namakkal and delta districts were asked to take precautionary measures as the discharge may be increased further based on the inflow. The WRD has issued a flood warning message that the discharge could be stepped up to 1.75 lakh cusecs at any moment and asked people living on the banks of the river and low lying areas to move to safer places.

At Bhavani in Erode, people started to move to relief camps from Tuesday night while revenue officials said more people would be shifted to camps as the inflow of 1.25 lakh cusecs would be realised in the river by afternoon.