Following heavy rains, Mettur Dam full after two years

Sources said the water level attained 120 feet in the wee hours of Sunday

For the first time in two years, the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur in Salem district on Sunday achieved the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 120 feet due to continuous rains in the catchment areas of River Cauvery in Karnataka.

The water level in the 87-year-old structure built during the British regime was maintained at 119 feet for the past few days owing to heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and continuous inflow from dams in Karnataka.

At 9 am on Sunday, the water level at the dam stood at 120 feet (FRL), and the water storage at 93.470 tmcft. While the inflow was 24,000 cusecs, the outflow from the dam into the river and canal stood at 24,150 cusecs.

If the inflow into the dam owing to heavy rains in the catchment areas and release of excess water from dams in Karnataka continue, the FRL is likely to be maintained for a few days.

This is the first time since 2019, the Mettur Dam has attained its FRL. The dam achieved FRL four times in 2019 -- twice in September, October 23, and November 11.

As a precautionary measure, the Tamil Nadu government asked administrations in 11 districts -- Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Ariyalur, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Perambalur -- to be on high alert.

The collectors have been asked to take steps to evacuate people living in low-lying areas and ensure that people don’t step into the river.

Mettur Dam is the lifeline of lakhs of farmers in the Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu who depend on water from the reservoir for the cultivation of crops.

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