After five years Mettur Dam touches full level

July 23

After five years, the water level of the Mettur Dam has reached fu1l level of 120 fee today. This was the 39th time that the Mettur Dam achieved FRL in its 85-year-old history.

The last time the dam became full was in the first week of August 2013. This is the 39 th. time that the Mettur Dam is reaching full level in its 84 years of existence. The last time it reached full level was on August 2013.

As in the last eight years, this year also the Mettur Dam could not be opened for Cauvery Delta irrigation on schedule on June 12. After prolonged uncertinity there was dramatic increase in inflow in Mettur Dam whole of July. The water level stood at 58.23 feet as on J.uly 1, 2018 and the inflow was a megre 10,383 cusecs. The newly formed Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery River Authority instructed Karnataka to discharge water according to the monthly quota.

But Karnataka government expressed inability. However Karnataka 's catchments recieved heavy rains and its dams started to fill up rapidly and the surpluses were discharged into the Cauvery. Consequently inflows stated to increase from July 10 onwards and water level crossed. 100 feet mark on July 18. Following this development the Tamilnadu Government announced that water will be released from the dam for Cauvery delta irrigation on July 19. Inflow peaked to 1,07,064 cusecs on July 17. On Sunday evening Karnataka increased water release from its dams to 67000 cuseces.

Following this the District Administration issued flood alert and also stepped up outflow from the Mettur Dam from 20,000 cusecs to 30,000 cusecs on Sunday night. It was stepped up further to 40,000 cusecs today morning. The water level touched 119 feet on Sunday night itself and steadily rose towards full level of 120 feet.

The storage of the reservoir has reached the full capacity of 93.5 TMCFT and the surplus inflows are being released through the sixteen vent surplus weir. A lot of public have gathered at the surplus weir bridge also called as Ellis Saddle (named after the British engineer who designed it) to take a look at the massive water spread of the reservoir and the beauty of water rushing out of the surplus weir.

CFCM News

(Centre for Communty Media)

2095 Days ago