The Hindu : Front Page : Mettur reservoir all set to touch full level

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Saturday, Aug 20, 2005

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Mettur reservoir all set to touch full level

Special Correspondent

If the present inflow is sustained, it will surplus on Saturday

METTUR: After five years, the majestic Stanley reservoir on Friday evening is on the threshold of realising its full level — 120 feet.

If the present inflow is sustained, it is expected to surplus before the break of dawn on Saturday.

"If the reservoir surpluses, it will be the 37th time in its seven-decade history it will be touching the 120-foot-mark," a senior official of the Public Works Department said. It crossed the 120-foot mark last on October 10, 2000, touched 124 feet on July 30, 1961, 123 feet five times and 122 feet on 12 occasions.

The level on Friday evening stood at 119.30 feet with a realisation of 46,923 cusecs. The withdrawal for the delta was 18,800 cusecs. The impounded water was 92.359 tmcft against its effective capacity of 93.470 tmcft.

The official said the reservoir would have touched the 120-foot-mark earlier had the early morning inflow of 64,000 cusecs been sustained. "It dipped suddenly in the evening thus prolonging the much-expected surplussing," the official said.

Inflows into the dam were erratic over the last 15 to 20 days after it crossed the one-lakh mark last month. The dam received an inflow of more than 3 lakh cusecs only once, on July 8, 1961.

The dam's Senior Divisional Officer, K. Loganathan, told The Hindu that the surplus would be released through the 16-vent Ellis Saddle — a surplus escape, which ensures controlled flood discharge. "The inflows and outflows have to be judiciously managed to maintain the FRL at 120 feet for which the surplus vents are necessary," the official said.

Flood alert

A three-member technical team from the Tamil Nadu Government, including its project adviser and designs engineer, will visit the dam on Saturday to study the seepage in the drainage gallery, which is said to be "well within the permissible limits."

The district administration of Salem and Namakkal sounded a flood alert along the course of the Cauvery in view of the damfilling up quickly.

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