Tamil Nadu   

Poondi dam gates opened

City Bureau

Due to heavy inflow, reservoir's storage had shot up to near-full capacity Due to heavy inflow, storage shoots up to near-full capacity

TIRUVALLUR/CHENNAI: The shutters of Sathyamurthy Sagar reservoir in Poondi were opened on Wednesday to release surplus water as the storage shot up to just a foot below the full capacity.

Due to the heavy downpour, the inflow from surrounding catchment areas was about 3,700 cusecs. The dam also received about 570 cusecs from the Krishna Drinking Water Supply channel.

Tiruvallur District Collector Pankaj Kumar Bansal and Government Chief Whip P.M. Narasimhan released the shutters of the link canal to allow 500 cusecs into the Red Hills reservoir.

The shutters of Baby canal were opened to allow 90 cusecs into the Cholavaram reservoir. In the evening, all the rainwater received in the dam was released into the Kosasthalaiyar, officials said.

The shutters of Sathyamurthy Sagar are being opened after about nine years.

The district administration said there was no need for panic, as the outflow was meagre compared to the capacity of Kosasthalaiyar, which could take 1.20 lakh cusecs flow. The river drains the floodwater into the Bay of Bengal after crossing Thamaraipakkam, Minjur, Naapalayam and Ennore.

The storage of the dam on Wednesday morning was 2,755 million cubic feet (mcft) against full capacity of 3,231 mcft. It received 6 cm during the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Surplus water is also being released from the Chembarambakkam tank. About 1,600 cusecs was received and the entire quantum released.

Chembarambakkam's storage is now 2,908 mcft against full capacity of 3,645 mcft.

Water release will be regulated or stopped according to the inflow in the coming days.

The surplus water let out from the lake will be drained into the Adyar via Tiruneermalai, Anakaputhur and Nandambakkam. Already, several huts on the Adyar have been submerged by the surplus water.

Chennai Corporation Commissioner M.P. Vijayakumar said the affected people would be shifted to Corporation schools and provided food and care.

Rain lashed Chennai and its suburbs, leading to waterlogged roads and inundated homes.

From 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday to 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nungambakkam received 9.6 cm of rainfall and Meenambakkam 7 cm.

The run-off inundated several roads and affected traffic. Pedestrian subways of the arterial Anna Salai were also waterlogged.

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