Officials inspect Poondi reservoir, suggest repairs

The WRD team observes leaks in the shutters

A team of the Water Resources Department (WRD) officials, including from the Dam Safety Directorate, on Saturday said steps must be taken to strengthen the dam infrastructure, including shutters, and ensure structural stability of the Poondi reservoir. The team visited the reservoir to review flood damages and dam safety.

Built across the Kosasthalaiyar, the reservoir received heavy inflow during the northeast monsoon last year. Nearly 22 tmc ft of flood water from the dam had been discharged into the river as the inflow was seven times its storage capacity.

Officials said about 2-3 tmcft of water had been conserved in storage structures downstream apart from 2.7 tmc ft stored in the reservoir.