THENI: Normal life was paralysed at Cumbum, Uthamapalayam, Goodalur and Cumbum after sharp showers lashed these areas on Tuesday evening.
Even as the rain has offered a ray of hope to farmers in rain-fed areas, it has affected paddy harvesting in the valley.
However, it did not improve storage levels much in major dams.
Water level stood at 39.25 feet in Sothupparai Dam and 28.90 feet at Manjalar dam.
Turbines paralysed
With paralysing of one of the two turbines, which were operational at the power station in Lower Camp at Gudalur, since Monday, Public Works Department officials, once again, have faced a tough time in withdrawing water from the Periyar dam. Withdrawal through giant pipes had been reduced to 375 cusecs from 600 cusecs.
Already, withdrawal of water from two out of four pipes had been completely stopped for a long time owing to failure of two turbines. (Four turbines had been completely paralysed since last month and TNEB engineers managed to operate one turbine in the last week of September and another turbine in the first week of October).
Once again, the second turbine did not function owing to a technical snag, scaling down power generation to 20 MW from 37 MW.
Two turbines had generated power only for a week.
Farmers have been demanding replacement of the decades-old turbines with new ones for more power generation and optimum withdrawal through all the four giant pipes.
Rainfall
Rainfall recorded at various places (in mm): Thekkadi – 38 and Gudalur - 3.
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