The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Water released from Vaigai dam

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Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Water released from Vaigai dam

Staff Reporter

To continue for five days without interruption

THENI: With the introduction of turn system, 900 cusecs of water has been released from Vagai dam on Tuesday that would continue for five days without interruption, to irrigate the first crop of double crop area spreading 45,000 acres in Madurai and Dindigul districts.

The Public Works Department has plans to release water for irrigation for the single crop area in both the districts from September 21, according to PWD officials.

The present release would be stopped after five days and resume after four days, the officials said.

“This cycle will continue.”

Farmers were advised to use the available water in the dam judiciously to get better yield.

With poor rain in the catchments, there was no considerable increase in storage level in the Periyar dam. The level stood at 123.20 feet only against the total capacity of 136 feet. Inflow was 1,580 cusecs.

A total of 1,346 cusecs was discharged from the dam through the Iraichal bridge, as water could not be drawn through four pipes connected to power generating turbines that were paralysed, owing to a snag.

(Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Engineers have been undertaking repair works for the past one week. Power generation has been completely stopped.)

The Vaigai dam has 55.15 foot of water. Inflow was slumped to 1,134 feet.

Discharge was 941 cusecs, including 41 cusecs to maintain drinking water supply to Madurai. While the storage in Periyar dam was 3,262 mcft, Vaigai has 2,743 mcft.

Irrigation of first crop covering 1,793 acres in Nilakottai taluk of Dindigul district, 29,501 acres in Madurai north taluk and 13,747 acres in Vadipatti taluk in Madurai district began on July 14.

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