The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Rain pause averts dam overflow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 11, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Rain pause averts dam overflow

Kannal Achuthan

Water level at Satyamurti Sagar dam is just 3 feet short of being full Water level at Satyamurti Sagar dam is just 3 feet short of being full

ON THE BRINK: A woman goes about her chores in front of the floodgates of the Satyamurti Sagar dam in Poondi on Thursday. The gates will be opened if the dam threatens to overflow. Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI: The let-up in rain on Thursday averted the possibility of overflow from the Satyamurti Sagar dam in Poondi, where the water level is just three feet below full.

Officials are on the alert in case the water level rises, and preparing for release of floodwaters if the dam becomes full.

The inflow on Thursday morning was 961 cusecs, much less than the 1,238 cusecs on Wednesday morning.

The dam's storage was 2,351 million cubic feet (mcft) on Thursday morning against a capacity of 3,231 mcft.

Officials are considering release of surplus water through the link canal to the Red Hills reservoir to conserve floodwater.

But this option can only be exercised keeping in mind the storage at Red Hills, which is also filling up. Its storage on Thursday was 2,386 mcft against a capacity of 3,300 mcft.

Thiruvallur Collector Pankaj Kumar Bansal, who inspected the Poondi Reservoir in the morning along with Rural Industries Minister B. Valaramathi, said there was no danger as yet to low-level areas adjoining the Kosathalaiyar River (across which Poondi dam is built).

"The inflow into the reservoir is 683 cusecs from the Krishna water and 278 cusecs from local catchment areas.

There is no danger to low-level areas right now as water is being diverted to Red Hills and the inflow is decreasing," Mr. Bansal said.

Tere are more than 50 villages Along the Kosathalaiyar, which could be affected if the dam overflows.

The river flows through Melsembedu, Valliyur, Tamaraipakkam, Jagannathapuram and Vallur before joining the sea at Ennore.

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